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After almost 12 months manning the tiller of the ship of state, PM David Cameron is finally getting a grip on policy, communications and political strategy. So we are led to believe by Tim Montgomerie's excellent overview of the new brooms busily sweeping behind the scenes at Number 10, following the ‘hackgate'--inspired departure of former communications director, Andy Coulson. And not a moment too soon, Whitehall anoraks might argue. Indeed, the purring of the famed civil service ‘Rolls Royce' has lately been rumbling and spluttering in the fashion of a Mini Metro running on bio-fuel. Witness the recent retreat over plans to reform the forestry estate and the failure to publicly communicate or get departmental traction for cross-cutting issues such as the Big Society or local economic growth. Crucial to re-sparking Whitehall's cylinders is the revamped policy unit, headed by Paul Kirby. A familiar figure to The MJ readers for his role in designing the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) regime, he joins Number 10 from KPMG, where he authored the policy paper Payment for success – how to shift power from Whitehall to public services customers. This vision for reform outlined a control shift ‘from providers to their customers, and from bureaucrats to enterprising professionals'. Mr Kirby's reform plan seeks to change the terms of a ‘dysfunctional debate' currently centred on politicians bragging about spending commitments. Outcome focused, it seeks instead to challenge inefficient public sector providers ‘who can only envisage making savings by slashing frontline output'. As such, he will lead a team of eight officials. They will spearhead the imminent Open public services White Paper which aims to end what Mr Cameron terms ‘old-fashioned, top-down, take-what-you're-given' presumption of public services run and funded by the state. Team members will also liaise between Downing Street and policy-makers in the major departments, closely following developments and ensuring Number 10's wishes are understood. According to Mr Montgomerie, George Osborne was behind the appointment. When seconded to the then shadow chancellor, Mr Kirby developed the cut-Whitehall by one-third policy, and was widely acknowledged for his understanding of how central and local government operate. Wise to the ways of mandarins, the policy unit will use its network of contacts and experience to challenge any department waving its bleeding stumps. The pragmatic need to get on with good, competent governance seems to be replacing any lingering Maoist fervour. But the structural choices and appointments still betoken the desire not to squander political capital and momentum, the perceived failure of Tony Blair's first term. Time will tell if the coalition, in rushing to take decisive action on every front, finds itself cruelly overstretched, fighting the last war like old generals. Jonathan Werran is editor of Governetz Public Property

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WHITEHALL

Inside View

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