Skip to main content
Civil Service

An Innovative Civil Service

How I helped at HM Queen Elizabeth’s lying-in-state

Kitty Buchanan-Gregory assisting the queue at the lying-in-state for Queen Elizabeth II

Cabinet Office marshal Kitty Buchanan-Gregory was one of more than 600 volunteer civil servants supporting mourners queuing to see Queen Elizabeth’s lying-in-state at Westminster Hall. Below, we publish Kitty’s diary of her experiences  Shift 1 Wednesday. I’ve been posted to …

Civil Service Choirmaster Stephen hits the right note

Stephen Hall, DEFRA1

Since founding the Civil Service Choir in 2009, Stephen Hall OBE has conducted in iconic venues and built the choir’s reputation for remarkable performances. Interview by Lorraine McBride I joined the Civil Service some 30 years ago as a Fast …

Celebrating Shravan

Shravan

Department for Education civil servant Rakesh Joshi shares his traditions and celebrations during the Hindu religious month of Shravan, and what it means to him.  With August fast drawing to a close, Hindus have been marking the month of Shravan …

A simple guide on words to avoid in government

Downing Street sign

Sam Gregory is on a mission to root out jargon in government. He's here to explore the worst offenders and offer the best alternatives.  As civil servants, our choice of terminology makes a huge difference to how the public understands …

Harnessing the power of science, engineering and technology

PM's Council for Science and Technology

Lord Browne of Madingley, Co-Chair of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, former CEO of BP and Co-Founder and Chairman of BeyondNetZero, discusses his experience as a business leader now advising government.  The Prime Minister’s Council for Science …

Nicola scores a net win at the Commonwealth Games

Nicola Lazenby BEIZ was a volunteer with the Commonwealth Collective at the 2022 Commonwealth Games

After 12 days helping to make the Commonwealth Games go like clockwork, how has life been for our volunteers? Civil servant Nicola Lazenby from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy joined the volunteers (aka the Commonwealth Collective) as …

Planning for a secure future

Image of a couple in silhouette in a hand

Maryam Teschke-Panah, the Civil Service’s Deputy Age Champion, encourages civil servants to learn more about their pensions. It's never too early (or too late) to be thinking about your future income. Your pension can be the last thing on your …

Where’s the washing powder?

Fruit and vegetables in a supermarket

Helen Challinor from the Department for Education explains how clear categorisation can help us not only with our shopping but also with managing our information at work. Have you ever thought about how your favourite supermarket is set out?  Would …

Top tips on delivering digital projects with global partners

Government Digital Service and GovTech in Singapore renewed their memorandum of understanding on digital transformation on 4 July 2022.

Digital transformation is hard, but the UK’s Government Digital Service experience helps countries around the world with this challenge. UK expertise in digital and technology transformation is much in demand across the world. Some of the lessons learned from COVID-19 …

Why Civil Service leadership training is changing

Natalie Golding, Director of the Leadership College for Government, speaks to public sector leaders at a residential event

Want to gain the right skills to tackle the challenges of the 21st Century? Here’s how the Leadership College for Government can help you. How often do you think about what makes an amazing leader or manager? While some people …