What ails Civil Service?
IT is said that Civil Servants are neither Civil nor are they servants.
We have been impressed by some talented people who know what they are doing and are determined to do it well, but more frequently we have been shocked by the failure to apply basic management disciplines to major projects and programmes
The Civil Service faces a widespread perception that its leaders are unaccountable for poor performance.
There are excellent managers in the Civil Service who focus on performance and value for money but they do it despite the system, not because of it, and they are the exception not the rule.
The Civil Service is expensive, but the real issue is that it is not good at its job. The root cause is the lack of accountability for performance.
Bringing in big hitters from the private sector will not change the predilection to spend rather than save.
Real reform in the Civil Service means making it accountable for every penny it spends and every person it employs.
The democratically elected politicians should be able – openly – to hire and fire senior officials.
Officials themselves would become visible and accountable.
Agree? These are comments on the British Civil Service in yesterday's 'Spectator'.