There are frequent - and often justified - calls for the UK Civil Service to be 'reformed'. This part of this website considers all aspects of this issue and includes a very detailed history of the subject.
Where to start?
I recommend that you begin by reading this general introduction to the subject.
You might then like to focus on the detail - below - and/or read How to Reform the Civil Service.
The Problem
These pages explore some reasons why the modern civil service might find it difficult to perform as well as we (or it) would wish:
- Society has Changed
- Whose Fault Is It?
- Is it mainly the fault of Civil Service Weaknesses?
- Permanent Secretaries' Objectives certainly don't help
Blunders, Failures and Disasters
I have also prepared some summaries of, and extracts from, formal inquiry reports, focussing on the areas where civil servants underperformed:
Solutions?
These pages summarise the solutions that have been tried in the past - sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
Looking forward, you might like to read about Possible Future Developments and How to Reform the Civil Service.
Last, and certainly not least, I have compiled a ...
Detailed History
This now amounts to around 30 web pages.
- Here is a Timeline & Index including ...
- The Latest Developments
Martin Stanley