Ministers must end 'barking mad' restraints on civil service pay or risk being unable to recruit the technical and digital specialists needed to keep pace, a union leader has warned. Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said the government should reject the 'rightwing trope' that limits pay for highly skilled civil servants, leaving it unable to compete with the private sector. He argued that senior specialists in competitive fields should be allowed to earn more than the prime minister.
Clancy's comments follow a statement by Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, who said he wanted more risk-takers and delivery experts to create a civil service that 'moves fast and fixes things'. However, Clancy noted that the civil service has significant problems retaining technical experts due to low pay and lack of progression.
Prospect, which represents workers at several regulators, said resourcing issues are the main cause of delays, not regulations themselves. For example, Natural England missed 58% of target response times for planning applications due to low resources, while the Environment Agency missed 75% of deadlines for the same reason. Clancy urged the government to set a clear pay and reward agenda for deliverers, warning that the current situation is a 'deep inhibitor' to government plans.
Clancy also cautioned against 'stump speeches' on deregulation, saying that delays in infrastructure, housing, and nuclear projects are often about resources, not rules. He described regulators as 'builders, not blockers' and urged the government to avoid sounding like the previous Conservative administration.
On the Employment Rights Bill, Clancy expressed concern that business groups are still lobbying against the changes. He warned of 'every risk' that zero-hours contract measures could be diluted during implementation, and noted that a manifesto promise to end bogus self-employment is 'well on the back burner'. He called on the government to be more confident in telling employers that there has been a fundamental shift towards workers' rights.
