Momentum building for reform at top of civil service
In a significant development, The Times has just called for reform of the Senior Civil Service, adding its powerful voice to the growing realisation that the problems at the top of government departments are deep. It has rightly identified that the senior civil service has grown too large, that it uses a lot of resources while delivering very little, and crucially, as a result, that it is too hard for ministers to implement their policies. It goes on to argue that the Civil Service must now "concentrate on attracting mission-driven talent" and insists "recruits should be a mix of private and public sector leaders."
The Times is right. And, as detailed in our recent paper, The Effective Management of Government, these problems would all be addressed with modern, professional management practices used in all other walks of life. Our proposals for departmental Chief Executives Officers (CEOs) on fixed-term contracts would align with the recognition that they need to be held accountable for their performance. For as The Times points out, ministers can't "micromanage their vast, temporary fiefdoms," and need support from staff with management experience—something many of them lack.
Alongside ministers, The Times names permanent secretaries, directors-general, directors, and deputy directors as positions within the Senior Civil Service that are in need of support. CEOs could make all these positions easier and more effective and hopefully eliminate the need for some such jobs altogether.
The Times article comes shortly after the EGF published its proposals for reforming the Senior Civil Service and just over a month after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt ordered a review of public sector productivity, because of related failings. And it is just weeks after former Home Secretary Sajid Javid spoke about the Civil Service’s lack of institutional memory and skills and began arguing for reform. Others now backing our reforms include many in the Labour Party – Gordon Brown’s recent Report of the Commission on the UK’s Future sits well beside our paper – the Liberal Democrats and some of Westminster's biggest think tanks, including the Institute for Government, and Reform. Lord Maude's Review on Civil Service Governance is expected to make many comparable recommendations.
So it does appear that momentum is building: as our polling has shown, in terms of the reform of public services, most people don’t think it matters who wins the next election. It seems that Westminster and the media are beginning to catch up.