Abstract
Since the 1980s the British civil service has undergone what amounts to a perpetual revolution (Bogdanor 2003) as both Conservative and Labour politicians have sought to make it more responsive and effective in the delivery of [their] programmes. Moreover, this period of unrelenting reform is set to continue as the Conservative-Liberal Democratic coalition aims to reduce the financial deficit by cutting public spending. Currently, there are approximately half a million civil servants, with numbers in administrative, that is support and front line services, and executive or managerial grades split roughly 50–50. Senior civil servants account for only 1% of the total (Office of National Statistics 2010) but their influence on the civil service culture and the arrangements by which Britain is governed is considerable. Hence the focus of this chapter is on these higher level positions and their relationship with politicians. The most senior civil servant has, since 1981, also been Cabinet Secretary, the title by which he (and so far they have all been men) is usually known. In this capacity, he advises the prime minister and the Cabinet on issues of policy, as well as on the conventions, precedents, powers and limitations of ministerial office. He thus has a close relationship with senior ministers and a pivotal position within government. As Head of the Home (as opposed to the Diplomatic) Civil Service he is also the glue which holds the civil service together, as well as its protector and chief spokesperson, a role which, from time to time, puts him in the spotlight.1
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© 2013 Diana Woodhouse
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Woodhouse, D. (2013). Civil Servants and Politicians: A Very British Relationship. In: Neuhold, C., Vanhoonacker, S., Verhey, L. (eds) Civil Servants and Politics. Public Sector Organizations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137316813_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137316813_5
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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