• Analysis
Civil service reform UK: Whitehall too 'tame, reactive and risk-averse', says cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo
Antonia Romeo, the UK's most senior civil servant, told an LSE lecture that Whitehall is too 'tame, reactive and risk-averse' and announced a 'completely new approach' to managing civil servants' performance.
Antonia Romeo, the UK's most senior civil servant, used a lecture at the London School of Economics to deliver a blunt verdict on her own organisation and to set out a civil service reform UK agenda built on performance, technology and structural change. Whitehall, she said, is too 'tame, reactive and risk-averse'.
A new approach to performance
Romeo announced a 'completely new approach' to managing civil servants' performance. She said it would 'incentivise and reward brilliant delivery, valuable expertise and sticking it out to get the job done'.
"Poor performance drives out good performance and discretionary effort, and we must urgently address that"
The measures she outlined include:
- •Training and equipping managers to reward those making the biggest impact and to take decisive action on poor performance.
- •Building on recent changes that increased bonuses for high-performing senior civil servants, which she called 'just the start'.
- •Reducing churn, where some officials move sideways to get pay rises rather than being rewarded for staying in the same job.
She also listed the criticisms the reform must answer: that the civil service is 'tame and risk-averse', 'reactive, not strategic' and 'siloed, not working across boundaries'.
Reform under fiscal pressure
Romeo said fundamental reform of the civil service to improve productivity was essential given the 'tight fiscal context'. She pledged to bring radical change to Whitehall as it deals with uncertainty caused by AI and global political tensions, and said she would 'rewire' the civil service, echoing pledges under Keir Starmer's government.
The pressure on ministers is practical as well as rhetorical: they are grappling with how to deliver higher defence spending in future while protecting the budgets of public services.
The spring review and AI
Romeo is overseeing a review of the organisation of the civil service, due in the spring, alongside an update to its code. The review will look at current departmental structures, what AI and 'devolution by default' mean for the civil service.
On technology, she argued AI could make the civil service 'more human' by cutting bureaucracy so officials can focus on creativity, interaction and decision-making. Her examples ranged widely:
- •Healthcare screening for types of cancer.
- •Tackling the risk of homelessness.
"From healthcare screening for types of cancer to tackling the risk of homelessness, technology can enable us to be much more predictive"
The speech also acknowledged worries among some civil servants that AI would be used to replace officials.
Burnham's response
Andy Burnham and his deputy Louise Haigh were in the audience at the lecture. Afterwards, a government spokesperson said Burnham 'backs the cabinet secretary's vision for a civil service that is fit for the future'.
"He is determined to rewire the state, pushing power out of Whitehall and handing it to the communities and regions it serves"
The spokesperson added that the prime minister will work with the cabinet secretary to deliver better public services and growth in every postcode by embracing AI responsibly, cutting needless bureaucracy and rebuilding trust. The review of the civil service's organisation is due in the spring.
