New UK cabinet secretary responsibilities include developing ‘curious and engaged civil service’
The key responsibilities of the new UK cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo have been published by government, highlighting the priorities for the year ahead include acting as the prime minister’s principal policy adviser and leading an impartial, curious and engaged civil service.
The objectives have been agreed with UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and published less than two months after Romeo’s succession to the role from predecessor Sir Chris Wormald.
There are five key objectives set for Romeo, which are:
1) Leading official delivery of the government’s and prime minister’s priorities in support of the government
2) Acting as the prime minister’s principal policy adviser
3) Supporting proper and effective cabinet government and decision-making
4) Reforming the civil service so that it is recognised for excellence in delivery, innovation and improved productivity
5) Leading an impartial, curious and engaged civil service, with a culture of pride that comes from high performance
These objectives have been published days after the government launched a programme with the aim of clearing up the ‘consultation culture’, with Romeo expected to help speed up decision-making and tackle government “sludge”.
An improved alignment between ministers and senior officials was one of the key recommendations of Global Government Forum’s Making Government Work: Five pillars of a modern, effective civil service report.
Based on interviews with 12 senior civil service leaders from around the world, the report identified the key characteristics needed in a modern public service.
Priorities ranging across leadership, digital service delivery, workforce development, cross-departmental integration, and citizen trust, with one key pillar being the need for strong leadership with mutual respect between ministers and senior officials.
The report said there was a need for a clear understanding of political objectives and civil service stewardship as part of a clear, unified vision for government action.
Read more: Making Government Work: Five pillars of a modern, effective civil service
Key objectives for head of civil service
The objectives for Romeo reveal the priorities of the head of the civil service. The first is focused on Romeo’s responsibility to lead the official delivery of the government’s and prime minister’s priorities in support of the government.
Specific actions include working with and holding permanent secretaries to account for delivering the prime minister’s and government’s agenda, by setting clear expectations and supporting high performance to drive execution and impact.
Romeo is also tasked with ensuring that effective policymaking capability, and delivery plans and architecture, are in place to drive government priorities with rigour and pace, and reforming the Cabinet Office to be a leaner, more agile strategic centre and ensure strong integration across economic, domestic, international and national security priorities.
Romeo is also required to engage a network of businesses and the private and other sectors to support the government’s pro-growth agenda, and work with the National Security Adviser, chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, and the heads of the Security and Intelligence Agencies to ensure the prime minister is provided with timely and relevant intelligence informing high quality national security advice.
As the prime minister’s principal policy adviser, Romeo is required to draw on expertise from departments, other sectors, and international best practice to develop creative policy solutions in government, and provide the prime minister with objective and high-quality advice on propriety issues, and advise the prime minister on machinery of government changes to ensure optimum structures.
To support proper and effective cabinet government and decision-making, Romeo is tasked with delivering effective cabinet business, including chairing the highest official committees in support of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to ensure decisions are taken in the correct forum, and supported by rigorous policy development, analysis and evidence.
Romeo is also tasked with brokering agreements between departments as necessary to reach collective positions on government policy where needed.
Romeo’s responsibility to cut government ‘sludge’ was also reiterated in a responsibility to modernise and streamline administrative processes “to remove bureaucracy and inefficiency and enable rapid decision-making while maintaining rigour and accountability”.
In particular, Romeo is tasked with ensure cabinet secretariat processes are fit for the modern age, including the cabinet manual and the systems for sharing information.
Read more: UK cabinet secretary to help cut government ‘sludge’ as new measures announced
Romeo is also tasked with acting as a steward for the democratic system of government and guardian of the constitution, and ensure the civil service retains the confidence of all political parties by demonstrating impartiality and integrity.
This links to the fourth objective of reforming the civil service so that it is recognised for excellence in delivery, innovation and improved productivity.
Romeo will focus on improving “delivery, innovation and productivity” in the civil service, including leading work to ensure the civil service is able to respond to and benefit from AI and tech developments.
She will work with and hold Permanent Secretaries to account for delivering savings within their departments, including reducing administrative spend in line with targets in the Spending Review to reduce back‑office costs by at least 16% in real terms by 2029‑30.
The cabinet secretary is also responsible to ensuring each department has an ambitious and deliverable plan to ramp up AI and technology adoption, alongside a strategic workforce plan to deliver efficiencies, strengthen skills and capability and improve public services. Alongside this, Romeo is tasked with overhaul the approach to performance and talent management frameworks for senior civil servants to put the right people, in the right jobs, with the right skills including a strong pipeline at the most senior levels.
Lastly, the cabinet secretary is tasked with leading an “impartial, curious and engaged civil service”, with a requirement that Romeo “visibly lead the civil service with clarity, energy and passion”.
Romeo is tasked with championing a culture of “curiosity, innovation and pride”, and refresh governance arrangements for more effective day-to-day management of the Civil Service. She is also tasked with strengthening confidence in, and public perception of, the civil service, and build trust in the state and its capability.
This will include a refresh the Civil Service Code – the core values that support good government and ensure the achievement of the highest possible standards in all that the civil service does. Romeo is also required to ensure the code is adhered to across the civil service.
Read the full list of the Cabinet secretary and head of the civil service is responsible for here.
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