Tevye Markson

2 days ago | civilserviceworld.com | Beckie Smith |Tevye Markson

Munira Mirza, a former director of the No.10 Policy Unit, will chair the advisory board of a new think tank that says it will “build a detailed blueprint for government”. Fix Britain – which describes itself as “a group of senior people with experience in the civil service, business, politics, media, law, the military and the NHS” – says it wants to tackle problems caused by poorly trained ministers and policies that are “thinly sketched out and readily discarded”.

2 days ago | civilserviceworld.com | Tevye Markson

The Institute for Government has warned that new internal government guidance banning officials from speaking at events with Q&A sessions, or where media are expected to attend, is "counter-productive". The think tank said the new restrictions on civil and public servants will lead to worse policy and decision making – reducing public understanding of government policy and making it harder for officials themselves to understand external perspectives.

2 days ago | civilserviceworld.com | Tevye Markson

“It’s a dirty secret that we spend a trillion a year in Britain and we don’t know what works,” David Halpern told CSW in 2023, bemoaning the lack of evaluation in government. In the same interview, however, Halpern expressed hope about the establishment of the Evaluation Task Force, which was set up in 2021 as a joint unit between the Cabinet Office and the Treasury. The unit, he said, meant “we now have a big chunk of the British government that’s serious about evaluating success”.

3 days ago | civilserviceworld.com | Sian Jones |Tevye Markson

We live in challenging times. With each emerging political or public policy conundrum – whether domestic or international – it feels as if the next one is just around the corner. Anyone arguing that public bodies tasked with managing these complex issues have it easy is playing devil’s advocate.

3 days ago | civilserviceworld.com | Tevye Markson |Jim Dunton

PCS members working for civil service pensions administrator MyCSP are set to take six weeks’ strike action as they seek formal recognition for the union ahead of the transfer of staff to outsourcing giant Capita. The union has announced strikes on the following dates: 7-11 July, 14-18 July, 21-25 July, 28 July-1 August, 4-8 August, 11-15 August. The strike will affect offices in Liverpool and Cheadle Hulme.