The civil service coped well with the transition to a coalition government but there should be more co-ordinated guidance on preparing for the next election, according to a recent report from the Institute for Government (IfG).

The report also explores the reasons behind policy U-turns and implementation problems in the first year of government, suggesting that the civil service may have been “too eager to please new ministers” and “insufficiently challenging in the months after May 2010”.

In a second report, on departmental business planning, the IfG calls for a more co-ordinated approach. The report, published a year after the first business plans were released, recommends that a working group of senior officials be established to promote joined-up working on business planning.

The centre of government should take a greater role in improving data quality within business plans, the report says – for example, by policing explanations for late actions – and publicly state when it has had to take action against a department that is not meeting its targets.

Click here to see all news and features from Civil Service World

Written by CSW