HR

With the end of 2015 in sight, we asked Whitehall's top officials to review the year, set out their priorities for 2016 – and shed some light on their festive plans. Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, takes part in our biggest-ever perm secs' round-up series...

Public sector union leader re-elected for another five years as general secretary

Latest workforce data from the Office for National Statistics shows civil service shrank by 1.4% in Q3

KPMG and Hay Group win first two lots as Cabinet Office makes changes to the way departments buy training courses

Permanent secretary announces she is to step down from her role after 25 years in the civil service

New appointments in the civil service, UK politics, and public affairs, via our colleagues on Dods People

Home Affairs Select Committee issues scathing report on errors in police funding overhaul – as department promises to learn lessons

Furious online reaction to Spending Review blog prompts response by cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood and civil service chief executive John Manzoni – with the pair emphasising areas where civil service is more flexible than the private sector

Vince Cable, Chris Huhne, Andrew Mitchell, Caroline Spelman and more provide the Institute for Government with their views on their officials, the Whitehall machine, and dealing with the centre of government

Civil service's anti-whistleblower culture is changing, says chief executive John Manzoni, as he promises new data on concerns raised by staff – and faces tough questioning from MPs on extending public interest protections to private providers

New appointments in the civil service, UK politics, and public affairs, via our colleagues on Dods People

Report by former deputy governor of the Bank of England says 90% of ONS staff were “unwilling to move” out of London, leading to a “loss of knowledge and experience”