Economics

Former head of the civil service tells chancellor at Lords committee hearing that he believes argument for running a surplus is a "smokescreen" for a smaller state

Public and Commercial Services union makes "strong representations" to tax authority about "timescale and process" of 90-day talks, which department says may result in compulsory redundancies

Exclusive: Tax authority says it will aim to "avoid the need for compulsory redundancies" when 90-day process opens next week

Civil service chief executive talks up Single Departmental Plans, saying they will offer "single, clear roadmap" for managing resources ahead of the Spending Review

Treasury says spending review - set for November 25 - will be a chance to "review the role of government"

Push for £20bn of departmental cuts begins today - with spending review conclusions to be set out on November 25

Annual report from the Civil Service Commission says senior civil service pay curbs could lead to loss of "some of the most talented" officials

Department for Work and Pensions accounts qualified again as NAO says fraud and error in the benefits system "remains unacceptably high"

Justice secretary stresses that departmental non-execs – designed to sharpen outside scrutiny of Whitehall – are ministerial appointments, after overseeing shake-up of MoJ board

Waheed Nazir – director of planning and regeneration and chief planning officer at Birmingham City Council​ – gives an outside perspective of the civil service, and says Whitehall is improving the way it works with local partners

Former head of the government finance profession handed CIPFA medal for "outstanding" public service

Chancellor uses first Conservative-only Budget to announce four more years of public sector pay restraint

Follow all the action as chancellor George Osborne delivers his latest Budget

Ahead of Wednesday's budget, here's CSW's round-up of the civil service in the news, including the latest on possible job cuts, and a memo from the HMRC's Lin Homer on the latest "disappointing" demand for new savings

BIS perm sec Martin Donnelly requests rare "letter of direction" from minister Sajid Javid after raising value-for-money concerns over plan to gift extra shares to Royal Mail staff

Transport and defence departments to bear the brunt of extra cuts this year

Lord Kerslake, former head of the civil service, says it is "highly doubtful" government can secure like-for-like replacement of housing association properties sold off under new scheme

No headcount changes under chancellor's plan to merge Shareholder Executive (ShEx) and UK Financial Investments (UKFI) into one body overseeing privatisations

Chancellor tells CBI he's asked departments to find further cuts in current financial year, and announces merger of the two bodies overseeing state assets

PWC partner Charles Lloyd shares his experience of life in Whitehall – and the different style of governments in the Middle East – in a regular Q&A with people who’ve crossed organisational and sectoral boundaries to join a new working world

New business secretary promises expansion of anti-regulation scheme in new enterprise bill

As the country goes to the polls, here's CSW's full guide to what the 2015 election will mean for the civil service

Thirty three companies take the lion’s share of central government procurement spending, between them receiving roughly £10bn of Whitehall money each year. But who are they? Do they truly understand the public sector? And do civil servants trust them? Rebecca Sims-Robinson crunches the numbers.