A group of supportive Labour lawmakers are urging the UK government to raise wage and numbers political advisors to attract more experts to Whitehall, where ministers can help overhaul the state.
The Labour Growth Group (LGG), which boasts over 100 MPs, is a reform and co-authored, nonpartisan Westminster think tank that examined how Downing Street could improve the operation of the central government, particularly civil servants.
The recommendations seek to defeat a series of shiboles, who the author believes to be an unacceptable drug for his author’s performance, including risk aversion attitudes towards experiments and rooted resistance to incentive structures common in the private sector.
The report calls for each Whitehall sector to allocate budgets for politically appointed roles based on needs, including expected workloads and complexities of reforms, and political sensitivity to the department’s work and its legislative agenda.
“This should mean appointing more experienced advisors,” the report said.
Currently, special advisor salaries start at around £40,500. While those at the top of the best pay bands can earn £145,000, many complain that their pay is artificially restrained to avoid criticism of high “SPAD” pay bills. This leaves sector experts far below what they order in comparable private sector roles.
At this point, only one in five appointees in senior civil servant roles have been hired externally, the report said, as it recommended the creation of a new, competitive mid-career “fast stream” to guide a new generation of talented leaders with experience in the private sector.
Authorities recommend that more generous pension packages should be exchanged for higher wages to seduce top talent from technology, and that financial bonuses must be deployed at all levels of civil servants to encourage innovation.
It also proposed to appoint a special advisor to the Deputy Minister, along with greater use of non-executive directors and expert councils, to provide support and constructive challenges.
Angela Rayner is said to have six political aides to support her role as Deputy Prime Minister, Housing Secretary and Minister overseeing the government mandate agenda © Peter Nicholls/Getty Images
One member of the Caucus said he felt that restricting a senior minister with a vast portfolio to just a handful of advisers was “instinctively wrong.”
LGG co-chairman Chris Curtis, Labour MP, said “Turning Whitehall to its full potential is an absolute priority,” and argued that “the risk of maintaining the status quo now outweighs the risk of reform.”
Welcoming UP. Upgraded’s growth forecast released last week in a spring statement, he warned that “the speed and scale of its growth depends on its ability to bring about ambitious change through the UK state.”
The report also reviewed the inclusion of “social value” standards, while also recommending streamlining the government’s procurement process with a strong emphasis on achieving the highest value for taxpayers.
The Minister advised to exercise a closer grip of the arm length body that operates outside the direct divisional control. These Quanggos account for around 60% of daily spending, employ around 400,000 people, and emphasize managing the “most complicated and high-risk” portion of the state.
Following the decision this month by Keir Starmer, the world’s largest Quango and has more employees than the health sector, the report suggested that arm-length bodies could be discarded or integrated to reduce duplication.
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He said the team within the Whitehall division, which oversees the bodies, should also be expanded and empowered to monitor and drive their performance.
The call will air similar concerns about Quangoros last fall, in the wake of Simon Joare, the conservative chairman of the Administrative and Constitutional Committee.
The report praised the measures the minister had taken to enhance his performance in the central government. This includes a new scheme to pay inactive officials to resign, and investments in digitalisation aimed at achieving £45 billion in savings and productivity improvements.
The report entitled “Reconstructing the State’s Capacity for Economic Growth” was submitted to Pat McFadden’s team prior to publication Monday, pledging to be proud to “rewire” the state.
One senior figure at the LGG states that the Caucus is intended to act as an “organized rebel political force” to promote change in Whitehall, emphasizing that the same “is in previous governments” while Downing Street shows that such reforms are a priority.
