What should be included in civil service reform plan

Creative thinking about the relationship between the public and private sectors and clarity and consistence about where people and organisations sit are vital if the civil service is to change for the better, Prospect head of research Sue Ferns argues in a blog on the Guardian Professional website.

Ferns says that the government’s civil service reform plan is disappointing on many levels. She makes a number of proposals about what should be included in a strategy that would deliver sustainable reform.

She calls for:

• an evidence-based pay strategy to attract and retain the skills government needs
• bold action to encourage inter-departmental working
• more creative thinking from government about facilitating interchange between the public and private sectors
• trading funds which are subject to commercial disciplines and operate in competitive markets should not have their hands tied by the Treasury
• everyone working for central government needs to be given a clear message about their role and status.
• Read the full article on the Guardian Professional website.
• Prospect members are encouraged to sign up to the newspaper’s public leaders’ network.