Operational Delivery Profession Awards Winners Announced
The UK civil service held its Operational Delivery Profession Awards on 21 April, honoring frontline teams across 47 departments with 900 nominations. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s Theory Test Team won the Inclusion Award for the Signly tool, which has enabled over 2,000 deaf candidates to book theory tests independently. Other winners included the DVSA Strategic Traffic Management Office for flagging 21,000 HGV speed‑limit breaches, Defra’s ecosystem‑security collaboration, and HMRC’s head of profession for protecting staff from abusive customers. The ceremony highlighted innovation, collaboration and public‑service dedication.
Pension Crisis: Renewed Calls to End Capita Contract After Royal Mail Decision
Civil service unions are urging ministers to terminate Capita's contract to run the Civil Service Pension Scheme after the government scrapped Capita's deal to manage the Royal Mail pension scheme. Minister Nick Thomas‑Symonds cited missed transition milestones and a lack...
DSIT Seeks Job-Share Partner for UK Space Agency Boss
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is hiring a job‑share partner to co‑lead the newly re‑formed UK Space Agency alongside director Rebecca Evernden. The role, classified at Senior Civil Service pay band 2, offers a pro‑rated salary of...
Andy Start Departs MoD After Completing Procurement Restructure
Andy Start retired from the UK Ministry of Defence after establishing the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group, a consolidation of key defence organisations launched in March 2025. He served as interim director, then deputy director, before handing over to Rupert Pearce...
Ofgem Strike Mandate Renewed as Negotiations Roll On
Ofgem staff have renewed their strike mandate after a PCS ballot showed 93% support with a 68% turnout. The dispute, which began in August 2025, focuses on pay and job security and has already led to strike actions in September...
Cabinet Secretary Objectives Published for First Time in a Decade
Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo has published her 2026‑27 objectives, the first such document since 2012. The five‑point plan outlines her role in delivering the prime minister’s agenda, advising on policy, improving cabinet decision‑making, reforming the civil service for innovation...
DHSC Pledges Plan to Halt Spiraling Cost of Clinical Negligence ‘This Autumn’
The UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will issue early proposals this autumn to curb the soaring cost of NHS clinical negligence claims, which have jumped from roughly $750 million in 2006‑07 to about $4.5 billion in 2024‑25. A National...
Civil Service Pension Scheme: Capita Confirms Data Breach
Capita, the contractor overseeing the Civil Service Pension Scheme, confirmed a data breach on its portal that exposed personal Annual Benefit Statements of 138 members to other scheme participants. The breach was identified quickly, prompting the suspension of the ABS...
CQC Gambling Harms Team Among Winners at Regulation Awards
The Care Quality Commission’s Gambling Harms Team won the Collaborative Practice Award at the Institute of Regulation Awards for designing a pioneering assessment framework for gambling‑harm treatment services. Commissioned by GambleAware and the Gambling Commission, the team built the framework...
Home Office Staff Vote to Accept Three-Year Pay Deal
Home Office staff, represented by the PCS union, voted 93.7% in favor of a three‑year pay deal that delivers at least 6% pay growth in 2025‑26, 5.5% in 2026‑27 and 4% in 2027‑28. The package exceeds the Cabinet Office’s 3.25%...
DfE Seeks 'Energised' Applicants for Next Schools DG
The UK Department for Education (DfE) has opened recruitment for a new Director General of its Schools Group, offering a salary of £160,000 (approximately $203,000) per year. Interim DG Julia Kinniburgh, who stepped in after Juliet Chua moved to the Cabinet...
Job-Share Pioneers Take on Chief Exec Role at Higher Ed Regulator
Ruth Hannant and Polly Payne, veteran civil‑service job‑sharers, have been appointed joint chief executives of the Office for Students, the regulator overseeing England’s higher‑education sector. The pair will assume the role on 15 June, following an interim period led by Director...
MPs Call for ‘National Centre’ to Combat Disinformation
Members of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee urged the creation of a National Counter Disinformation Centre to protect UK democracy from state and non‑state malign actors. The report highlights that seven government departments currently share disinformation responsibilities, resulting in fragmented and...
Prison Staff to Get 3.5% Pay Rise
Justice Secretary David Lammy announced a 3.5% pay rise for eligible prison staff in England and Wales, back‑dated to 1 April and funded from the Ministry of Justice’s existing budget. The increase targets operational support grades and governors, with an additional...
Government Legal Department Names New Perm Sec
Douglas Wilson has been named the next permanent secretary of the Government Legal Department, also assuming the titles of Treasury solicitor and HM Procurator General. Currently director general at the Attorney General’s Office, Wilson will take over from Susanna McGibbon on...
Scrap 60% Office Mandate, Union Demands Amid Rising Living Costs
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union is urging the UK government to abandon its 60 % office‑attendance mandate for civil servants as the war in Iran drives up energy, fuel and food costs. PCS cites a 9 % rise in petrol,...
National Savings & Investments Expected to Pay Millions to Customers over Misplaced Funds
National Savings & Investments (NS&I), the Treasury‑backed savings bank serving over 24 million customers, is facing accusations that it failed to pay death‑benefit premiums to roughly 37,000 bereaved families. The dispute could result in compensation running into the hundreds of millions...
High Earners List Published for First Time in Three Years
The Cabinet Office released a high‑earners spreadsheet for the first time since 2022, covering civil servants and public‑sector executives earning over £174,000 (≈$221,000) as of 30 September 2025. The list shows 568 individuals, down from 664 in 2022, with the top salary...
Environment Agency and Natural England Should Be Merged, MPs Say
The Public Accounts Committee has urged the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to merge the Environment Agency with Natural England as part of a broader regulatory overhaul. The recommendation follows 149 suggestions from three major reviews that...
Civil Servants Should Be More Involved in Shaping AI Adoption, Report Says
A Fabian Society report, produced with the FDA union, warns that civil servants are being left out of AI adoption decisions, jeopardising the government’s productivity agenda. Only 29% of surveyed staff said they had been consulted on AI, while 66%...
Natural England Staff Secure Pay Deal Worth 12% over Two Years
Natural England has secured a two‑year pay agreement delivering an average 12% increase, split into 7% for 2025‑26 and 5.1% for 2026‑27. The raise comes alongside concessions: the work week expands to 37 hours, holiday entitlement drops to 30 days...
Cabinet Office Headcount Drops by 13% in One Quarter
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...
MHCLG Recruits for New ‘Chief Construction and Scientific Adviser’ Role
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....
Departments’ Use of Banking-Style Anti-Fraud Checks Set for Review
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 Appointed as MoJ Second Perm Sec
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...
Defra on Track to Cut 21% of Its Headcount by 2029, Perm Sec Reveals
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...
MoD Perm Sec Pledges Anti-Fraud Performance Will Improve
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...
AWE Staff to Strike over Redundancy Plans
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...
Cyber Profession Plans Unveiled
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...
Counter-Fraud Function Delivers £7.5bn Savings Across Public Sector
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...
Hybrid Working: GPA Helping Departments to Meet 60% Mandate
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 Wins £700m Civil Service Payroll Contract
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...
Treasury Calls in Private Sector to Help Departments Scale up AI Use
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...
DSIT Offers £174k for AI and Emerging Tech DG
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,...
Cross-Government Report Shows Quadrupling of Detected Fraud and Error in Two Years
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...