Whitehall reform
On 5 March 2009, the think tank Reform published a report (Fit for purpose) which sets out a series of detailed proposals for the reform of the UK civil service.
The report insists that Whitehall’s systemic weaknesses are attributable to the culture and structure of a civil service that rewards risk avoidance and punishes innovation. It contends that the UK civil service is not sufficiently accountable – success or failure seems to have little or no consequence for departments. Moreover, Whitehall is judged to be inadequate with respect to performance management and weak at implementation.
The report notes that in peer group countries (including France, Australia and Canada) ministers appoint senior civil servants. Accordingly, it makes a number of recommendations to bring Britain’s civil service into line with international best practice:
- Democratic accountability provides the best means to hold senior civil servants to account. As such, the report proposes that democratically elected politicians should have the power to appoint senior civil servants.
- The doctrine of ministerial responsibility should be abolished. The report suggests that it not only shields officials from taking personal responsibility for their actions but also draws ministers into the process of delivery. Ministers should be responsible for the strategic direction of policy and its communication. Officials should be personally responsible for the construction of policy and the use of resources.
- All civil service vacancies should be advertised openly. Discrimination in favour of “internal” over “external” candidates and the system of grades should be abolished. Recruitment led by individual line managers should supersede centrally approved appointments. What matters is the quality and cost of appointees. The report argues that reform of this kind would see a much greater flow of personnel between the private, voluntary and public sectors, and the recruitment of officials with direct experience in the policy areas that they cover.
- All political parties should make civil service reform a key part of their shared commitment to localism. At present, the report finds that Whitehall too often claims responsibility for parts of national life – such as healthcare, education and policing – for which it is simply too remote to be the most effective change agent.
Fit for purpose (PDF)
