Bringing in the best: How can the civil service recruit and retain top talent?

The success of the civil service has always depended on the recruitment and retention of exceptional individuals – and this means bringing in talented outsiders with particular skills and capabilities. It is 170 years since the Northcote-Trevelyan report argued that people “of the highest abilities should be selected for the highest posts” in Whitehall, while the government’s most recent reform plan, the 2021 Declaration on Government Reform, argued that more external recruits were needed. So, who are the officials at the very top of the civil service – and is enough being done to recruit the best outside talent? Permanent secretaries Cat Little, Sarah Munby and Gareth Davies joined us to discuss the benefits of external recruitment to the civil service.