The British civil service is not getting better no matter which party is in power, and most voters take it as a clear sign that the public has lost confidence in the political system.
According to a study by Savanta, only one in five people trust political leaders to solve their country’s problems.
A new report from the bipartisan Forum for Good Governance argues that the loss of confidence in politics in the country should lead to a complete overhaul of Whitehall’s way of working, with each department headed by a senior specialist and stopping the movement of officials between them.
Recent polls still show Labor in the lead after the Conservatives’ fall in popularity after 13 years in government. But Savanta’s research shows there is little confidence that the new government will improve the quality of public services.
Just 33 percent of voters said that the management of services such as schools and hospitals improved when certain parties were in power, while 58 percent said there was no difference in quality depending on who won the election. And 63 percent think taxpayers aren’t getting what they need from the services they fund, while 30 percent think government services offer good value for money.
When asked if they were confident that national political leaders “could solve the problems the UK is currently facing”, 21% said yes, while 47% disagreed.
The Good Governance Forum said the results, based on a survey of 2,275 adults over the past two weeks, showed that “the British system of government is broken and provides poor but expensive public services, with some services like the NHS and pensions rapidly becoming unavailable. unstable . “.
In the report, she called for government departments to be restructured so that ministers become the equivalent of a company chairman, backed by a CEO with significant experience in the private sector or charities, and a professional supervisory board. The Permanent Secretary, who is currently the senior officer in each portfolio, was supposed to be responsible for advising ministers, but no longer has managerial responsibilities.
The think tank also said the departments should become legally independent organizations, ending a system in which officers frequently rotate between them rather than focusing on one specialty for the long term.
Tim Knox, co-author of the report, said: “This survey confirms what many of us have known for some time – our current governance structure is broken.
“Our system of government is crying out for reform, and voters and politicians alike feel that Whitehall’s structures are hindering the effective delivery of public services. Whichever party wins the next election will have to remedy the shortcomings of the government. We need to act now.”
Patrick Barbour, another author, added: “The current system of central government gives politicians and civil servants an impossible job, resulting in poor policy implementation and governance. The Northcote-Trevelyan Report of 1854 introduced professionalism into the civil service. The role of government has changed significantly over the past 170 years, but the system of government has remained the same.
“We believe that all parties urgently need to develop a plan before some government services collapse or become unavailable.”
Source: I News
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.