Civil Service World (UK) - Latest News and Information
The Cabinet Office’s full‑time equivalent headcount fell 13% in the September‑December 2025 quarter, dropping from 6,190 to 5,390 after voluntary and mutually‑agreed exit schemes. The department aims to cut another 1,200 posts and deliver over £110 m in savings by 2028 through AI, technology and programme closures. In contrast, the wider civil service added roughly 1,000 FTEs, driven by a £1.7 bn investment in HMRC to expand compliance and debt‑management teams. This divergence highlights contrasting staffing strategies across the UK government.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has opened recruitment for a new chief construction and scientific adviser, a role that consolidates its interim construction adviser and chief scientific adviser functions in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy....
HM Treasury announced a cross‑government review of how departments use the "confirmation of payee" (CoP) anti‑fraud check, a safeguard mandatory for banks offering Faster Payments and CHAPS. Introduced in 2020, CoP verifies recipient account details against a central register, yet...
Clara Swinson, currently second permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, will become the Ministry of Justice’s second permanent secretary in April 2026. Her appointment, approved by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Justice Secretary David Lammy, places her at the helm...
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is on track to reduce its workforce by more than one‑fifth by the end of the 2028‑29 fiscal year, cutting roughly 1,500 jobs from its current 5,800 staff. The cuts follow...
Ministry of Defence permanent secretary Jeremy Pocklington told MPs the department expects its anti‑fraud return on investment to reach the public‑sector target of £3 recovered for every £1 spent by 2028, up from a four‑year average of 48p. The 2024‑25...
Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) staff will strike on 12 and 26 March after the Prospect union reported that redundancy plans have risen to 800 jobs, up from an earlier target of 400‑500. The union says AWE failed to provide sufficient...
The UK government has launched a dedicated cyber profession, jointly overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The initiative creates a Cyber Resourcing Hub and a career framework aligned with UK Cyber...
Britain’s public‑sector counter‑fraud function reported £7.53 billion in savings for the 2024‑25 financial year, according to the Cabinet Office. The bulk of the recovery came from HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service (£3.95 bn) and the Department for Work and Pensions (£2 bn). The savings...
The Department of Business and Trade released the government’s response to the House of Lords Home‑based Working Committee’s report on the civil service’s 60 % office‑attendance mandate. It argues the rule strikes the best balance for most employees while acknowledging that...
Capita has been named the preferred bidder for a £700 million civil service payroll contract covering more than 250,000 staff across DWP, MoJ, Home Office and DEFRA. The deal is part of the government’s “Synergy” programme, which aims to replace 286...
HM Treasury has launched an external advisory panel that includes IBM, Faculty AI and the Tony Blair Institute to accelerate artificial‑intelligence adoption across UK government departments. The group will evaluate pilot projects, share best‑practice lessons and advise on scaling AI‑driven...
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is hiring a Director General for emerging technology and artificial intelligence with a salary up to £174,000. The role will steer the UK’s strategy, investment and regulation across AI, quantum computing, semiconductors,...
The Public Sector Fraud Authority reported a record £1.7 bn in detected fraud and error for 2023‑24, more than four times the £438 m reported in 2021‑22. The surge is driven largely by error, especially £327 m linked to closed energy‑affordability schemes, while...
