7 articles
• via The Telegraph
A former diplomat exposes Civil Service unaccountability: 12x deadlier than dismissal, double sickness absences, promotions on jargon not results. This insider view reveals systemic rot driving public sector failure.
• via the Guardian
Labour secretary Steve Reed flags four-day weeks as failure indicators for English councils, overriding local trials amid productivity crisis. Central control persists across parties as bankruptcies mount.
• via The Telegraph
Budget measures extract £56bn from private pensions via fiscal drag and NI hikes, leaving public sector schemes untouched and guaranteed. This entrenches a two-tier system that burdens productive workers.
• via The Telegraph
Six cash-strapped councils spent 16% of council tax on staff pensions last year, then secured permission for above-cap rises, revealing how public entitlements trump fiscal discipline and burden households amid national decline.
• via BBC News
A council's failure to redact consultation data exposed hundreds to potential harm, highlighting chronic underfunding and protocol breakdowns in local government data handling. This routine breach underscores broader institutional vulnerabilities across UK public services.
• via The Guardian
While millions of Londoners face another week of transport chaos, tube drivers earning £71,000 are demanding shorter working weeks. The capital's entire underground network will grind to a halt for four days because 57% of RMT members voted to strike over their 35-hour week being too long.
• via The Standard
Transport for London handed out £639,164 to its chief executive while trains ran late, passenger targets went unmet, and cyber attacks left children unable to access discounted fares. This isn't administrative incompetence—it's how Britain's public institutions now function by design.