Category: Whitehall

Leadership in the Civil Service: Those that Can, Do Policy. Those That Can’t…..

Today (20 Jan 2012) the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) published a scathing attack on the re-organisation at the top of the Civil Service that took place over Christmas. Continue reading “Leadership in the Civil Service: Those that Can, Do Policy. Those That Can’t…..” →

Dangerous SNP Hubris Over Referendum

Does the SNP really want a free, democratic, Scotland? If so they are everything they can to ensure it may, just, become independent but is unlikely to be a genuine democracy. Continue reading “Dangerous SNP Hubris Over Referendum” →

My Top Ten (most read) WhitehallWatch posts of 2011 (so far)

Continue reading “My Top Ten (most read) WhitehallWatch posts of 2011 (so far)” →

Cuts in the City: How Manchester Fared in 2011

Tonight (Thursday 22) and tomorrow the BBC Radio 4 PM programme will carry items by reporter Andrew Bomford about how greater Manchester has fared over the past year in the face of a sluggish economy and large public spending cuts. It’s based on a report we wrote for them on the impact of the cuts (which you can get here). Continue reading “Cuts in the City: How Manchester Fared in 2011” →

Academy Schools Funding System Fails – quelle surprise

I have been predicting for some time that some of the big structural changes to public services are likely to destabilise the financial systems in health, education and local government. So it comes as no surprise that tens of millions of pounds have been ‘accidentally’ awarded to new Academy Schools.  Continue reading “Academy Schools Funding System Fails – quelle surprise” →

We Are Not “All In It Together” – it’s official

Inequality across the OECD is rising, including in Britain, even before the impact of the current crisis has even worked its way through, an important new OECD report shows. Continue reading “We Are Not “All In It Together” – it’s official” →

George Osborne’s Autumn Statement: We’re All Doomed

George Osborne’s “Autumn Statement” is certainly not a Pre Budget Report, as he promised it would not be. Instead, it is much more like a mini-Budget or even, given the timescales involved in many announcements, a mini-Spending Review. Continue reading “George Osborne’s Autumn Statement: We’re All Doomed” →

Leadership of the British Civil Service: All Change?

Last week I gave evidence – alongside Professor Lord Peter Hennessy and Professor Tony Dean –  to the Public Administration Select Committee in Parliament on the changes taking place at the top of the UK Civil Service. The uncorrected minutes of the evidence session can be found here.

Other evidence sessions and the terms of reference and other information for the PASC inquiry can be found on their website here.

I also have articles examining different aspects of these changes appearing in Public Finance and Public Servant magazines over the next few weeks.

Confusion and Denationalisation at the centre of the Health and Social Care Bill

I reprint below an excellent briefing by Professor Allyson Pollock and colleagues on key clauses of the Health and Social Care Bill.

It addresses two critical issues:

  • The removal of  legal responsibility from the Secretary of State to prove health services and
  • The confusing mixture of ‘person-based’ and ‘area-based’ arrangements for patients (and consequently funding arrangements – something I’ve brought up here before).

Continue reading “Confusion and Denationalisation at the centre of the Health and Social Care Bill” →