Tim Durrant
@timdurrant.bsky.social
Programme Director at the Institute for Government - interested in how government works and how it can work better
🏳️🌈
🏳️🌈
Reposted by Tim Durrant
Agree with needing to remove civil service poor performers more easily. Not sure this 'goes unsaid' as Stride says though - civil servants raise it regularly with us and @alexgathomas.bsky.social wrote about it earlier this year.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/civi...
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/civi...
Pat McFadden is right: the civil service needs to lose poor performers | Institute for Government
It is time to introduce regular civil service compulsory redundancy rounds.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
January 13, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Agree with needing to remove civil service poor performers more easily. Not sure this 'goes unsaid' as Stride says though - civil servants raise it regularly with us and @alexgathomas.bsky.social wrote about it earlier this year.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/civi...
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/civi...
Reposted by Tim Durrant
Stride says need a smaller civil service that can attract the best talent and seeks it eternally. Give big rewards to high performers, don't spread rewards widely and thinly across everyone. Strengthen poor performance management and stop poor performers being moved between depts.
January 13, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Stride says need a smaller civil service that can attract the best talent and seeks it eternally. Give big rewards to high performers, don't spread rewards widely and thinly across everyone. Strengthen poor performance management and stop poor performers being moved between depts.
Jones says all ministers need to be proving that they’re delivering for the public (and communicating that - he refers to reforms to the government communications service)
January 13, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Jones says all ministers need to be proving that they’re delivering for the public (and communicating that - he refers to reforms to the government communications service)
Jones doesn’t want CO to be the Ofsted of departments, he wants to be able to say “how can we help?”
January 13, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Jones doesn’t want CO to be the Ofsted of departments, he wants to be able to say “how can we help?”
Jones says there are often different views within No10 - separation of delivery unit and restructure of policy unit are all key
January 13, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Jones says there are often different views within No10 - separation of delivery unit and restructure of policy unit are all key
Jones says CO can move heaven and earth when it knows it has the backing of No10 - but that doesn’t always happen.
Hoping to join things up at the centre of government - and thinking about how to embed better cross-govt working so it survives him in govt
Hoping to join things up at the centre of government - and thinking about how to embed better cross-govt working so it survives him in govt
January 13, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Jones says CO can move heaven and earth when it knows it has the backing of No10 - but that doesn’t always happen.
Hoping to join things up at the centre of government - and thinking about how to embed better cross-govt working so it survives him in govt
Hoping to join things up at the centre of government - and thinking about how to embed better cross-govt working so it survives him in govt
Jones says the pressure in No10 feels different to elsewhere in govt: “I thought I was busy in the Treasury but I was not”
No10 much smaller than other departments, so you get much less support
No10 much smaller than other departments, so you get much less support
January 13, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Jones says the pressure in No10 feels different to elsewhere in govt: “I thought I was busy in the Treasury but I was not”
No10 much smaller than other departments, so you get much less support
No10 much smaller than other departments, so you get much less support
He also coordinates the work of No10 and bridges between Cabinet Office and the PM’s priorities “so we’re all pointing in the same direction”
January 13, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Jones says “permission culture is not enabling” - requesting permission from lots of people slows things down. At HMT he encouraged people to streamline things and to take risks, with ministerial support
January 13, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Jones says “permission culture is not enabling” - requesting permission from lots of people slows things down. At HMT he encouraged people to streamline things and to take risks, with ministerial support
Jones also says he’s organising lunches for ministers across govt to share ideas and deal with problems.
He’s also encouraging officials to resolve issues themselves without needing to escalate them to ministers
He’s also encouraging officials to resolve issues themselves without needing to escalate them to ministers
January 13, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Jones also says he’s organising lunches for ministers across govt to share ideas and deal with problems.
He’s also encouraging officials to resolve issues themselves without needing to escalate them to ministers
He’s also encouraging officials to resolve issues themselves without needing to escalate them to ministers
Jones talks about balancing two fulltime jobs, as chief sec to the PM and chancellor of duchy of lancaster: lots of delegation within cabinet office. Within CO, Jones prioritises digital id and digital transformation, leadership of reform of the state, and national security
January 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Jones talks about balancing two fulltime jobs, as chief sec to the PM and chancellor of duchy of lancaster: lots of delegation within cabinet office. Within CO, Jones prioritises digital id and digital transformation, leadership of reform of the state, and national security
Jones talks about balancing two fulltime jobs, as chief sec to the PM and chancellor of duchy of lancaster: lots of delegation within cabinet office. Within CO, Jones prioritises digital id and digital transformation, leadership of reform of the state, and national security
January 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Jones talks about balancing two fulltime jobs, as chief sec to the PM and chancellor of duchy of lancaster: lots of delegation within cabinet office. Within CO, Jones prioritises digital id and digital transformation, leadership of reform of the state, and national security
Jones says cabinet committees will invite external voices - hasn’t happened much in the past but wants it to become more normal
January 13, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Jones says cabinet committees will invite external voices - hasn’t happened much in the past but wants it to become more normal
Jones says this govt has been trying to change structures within govt to make sure the civil service is getting on with the right things.
One example is cabinet committees - they were too broad, they’re now focused on PM priorities. Allow for deeper conversations than full cabinet
One example is cabinet committees - they were too broad, they’re now focused on PM priorities. Allow for deeper conversations than full cabinet
January 13, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Jones says this govt has been trying to change structures within govt to make sure the civil service is getting on with the right things.
One example is cabinet committees - they were too broad, they’re now focused on PM priorities. Allow for deeper conversations than full cabinet
One example is cabinet committees - they were too broad, they’re now focused on PM priorities. Allow for deeper conversations than full cabinet
He sees the PM every day; joins deep dives on policy issues; “executes the operation” of PM decisions
Across Whitehall he brokers agreement between different SoSs, resolving disagreements, getting a clear decision and making sure people get on with it
Across Whitehall he brokers agreement between different SoSs, resolving disagreements, getting a clear decision and making sure people get on with it
January 13, 2026 at 2:52 PM
He sees the PM every day; joins deep dives on policy issues; “executes the operation” of PM decisions
Across Whitehall he brokers agreement between different SoSs, resolving disagreements, getting a clear decision and making sure people get on with it
Across Whitehall he brokers agreement between different SoSs, resolving disagreements, getting a clear decision and making sure people get on with it
He also coordinates the work of No10 and bridges between Cabinet Office and the PM’s priorities “so we’re all pointing in the same direction”
January 13, 2026 at 2:50 PM
He also coordinates the work of No10 and bridges between Cabinet Office and the PM’s priorities “so we’re all pointing in the same direction”
Reposted by Tim Durrant
I updated some analysis looking at the key drivers of civil servant engagement
Using data from the Civil Service People Survey, I found that civil servants’ day-to-day work and the leadership they receive drive engagement much more than factors such as the L&D offer or pay
Using data from the Civil Service People Survey, I found that civil servants’ day-to-day work and the leadership they receive drive engagement much more than factors such as the L&D offer or pay
January 13, 2026 at 1:34 PM
I updated some analysis looking at the key drivers of civil servant engagement
Using data from the Civil Service People Survey, I found that civil servants’ day-to-day work and the leadership they receive drive engagement much more than factors such as the L&D offer or pay
Using data from the Civil Service People Survey, I found that civil servants’ day-to-day work and the leadership they receive drive engagement much more than factors such as the L&D offer or pay