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From the Public Leaders Network

The new civil service boss needs to stem the loss of specialists

Chief executive John Manzoni needs to act quickly to ensure government keeps specialist skills, says Prospect's Sue Ferns
This heartless DWP management style is a disaster

Pay, pensions and jobs under threat are bad enough, but enforced 'fun' is the last straw, says a hacked-off public sector worker

Comment and analysis

Is it time for councils to buy back control of the energy grid?

Brits oppose energy developments, while Germans welcome new plants because they know they bring local benefits. It’s time to learn from our neighbours, says Kate Henderson
Flash fiction collection offers unique insight into future of local government

From illegal immigrants to assisted death, mobile libraries and bees, Dawn Reeves has curated stories from those who love local gov
All analysis

Why working in public services is still a desirable career choice

David Brindle: Despite a shrinking sector and privatisation, a career in public service still retains its attraction
Why should the new civil service boss have to be a bastion of independence?

Hannah Fearn: Calls for John Manzoni to give up his second job at a brewery mask Whitehall’s real need to be better at sharing
All comment

News

New civil service chief must resign from second job, says health committee chair

John Manzoni's £100,000-a-year directorship at drinks firm SABMiller 'clearly a conflict of interest', says Sarah Wollaston
Women make up only 25% of judges in England and Wales

UK lags behind Europe on equality in the judiciary says study, which also reveals that British judges are highest paid in the EU

Datablog: judges' pay across Europe
Why is Michael Gove inviting himself to civil service meetings?

The business view on what the Tory chief whip hopes to achieve, and what might happen instead

Civil service boss John Manzoni to keep his brewery directorship

New chief executive has £100,000 role at SABMiller, with MPs condemning Cabinet Office approval of his role
Civil servants will need business degrees to reach Whitehall's top jobs

Two years into the reform plan there’s ‘much more still to do’, with civil servants told to be more open and business-like
Who is new civil service chief executive John Manzoni?

Eight things you need to know about the former BP boss newly appointed as the civil service’s first ever chief executive
Universal credit 'undeliverable' says former head of the civil service

Sir Bob Kerslake bows out with a dig at the culture of deference that failed to recognise flaws in benefit reform
Civil service welcomes ban on all-male shortlists

Plan to get more women into senior Whitehall jobs is step in right direction – but more support for diversity still needed
More from the public leaders network

Local government

Three ways to improve Labour's housing review

Labour’s plan to increase housebuilding to 200,000 new homes a year needs more teeth if it is going to make a difference, says Hannah Fearn
Why we are protesting in Lambeth against the demolition of our homes

Residents march on Lambeth council against plans to regenerate Cressingham Gardens estate to make way for new council homes
Labour plans for housebuilding: do they go far enough?

Recommendations of the Lyons review in brief, and responses from housing industry experts
‘I can’t afford to keep losing pay’: public sector staff on why they are striking

Public sector workers, including NHS staff and civil servants, on why they are staging a series of strikes over pay
Want to give some of your local taxes to charity? In Japan you can

Citizens of Ichikawa have the right to allocate 1% of taxes to charities of their choice – and other cities have followed suit, says Rosario Laratta

Live Q&As

How to create sustainable transport systems throughout the UK – livechat

Join us on Friday 10 October from 12-2pm to discuss what the transport sector should do to help improve public health and tackle climate change
Digital public services: advice from around the world

From digital government in Estonia to reporting problems via text in Uganda, our expert share tips on using technology
How to ensure our public services benefit from the right digital skills

For a truly digital government we need to address a skills shortage and risk averse culture. Here, experts discuss solutions

Elsewhere on the Guardian

Punished for writing a letter to the Guardian

22 Oct 2014: Letters: A culture where staff are expected to keep their mouths shut and to toe the line would seem to permeate the whole of the civil service. HMRC found my husband guilty of ‘serious misconduct’ for contacting the press without permission
Tony Lynes obituary

22 Oct 2014: Scholar, political adviser and campaigner against poverty
Prisons inspector lays out factors behind high suicide rate

21 Oct 2014: Nick Hardwick blames understaffing, overcrowding, poor mental health care and failure to identify risks for vulnerable inmates
Shares rise on ECB bond-buying report, as UK public finances worsen -- business live

21 Oct 2014: Rolling business and financial news, as Britain borrows more than a year ago despite the recovery

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Society

Is this a good time to dilute care home rules?

David Brindle: New laws aim to relax rules for care homes at a time when a report reveals 100 allegations of abuse to residents every day
Society

The abolition of council chief executives was Eric Pickles’s worst idea ever

Hannah Fearn: Harrow saved £183,097 by dropping its chief executive. But it could have cost millions – including recruitment to the reinstated post
Society

It’s business as usual on civil service reform

Jane Dudman: Latest government plan to modernise Whitehall contains no mention of devolving more powers to local councils, despite pledges after the Scottish referendum
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