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Beckie Smith

@beckiesmith.bsky.social
165 followers 140 following 36 posts

Managing editor @civilserviceworld.bsky.social. Disabled pwME 🏳️‍🌈 Into government spending, working lives of civil servants & Whitehall cats. All cats, in fact. DMs open, get in touch

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Reposted by Beckie Smith
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Underpinning everything, you do not want politicians deciding who is British based on their personal prejudices. Deportation will also not improve the life of those left behind - plenty of evidence for that. Ultimately, let's talk about what will improve the country.
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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Let's not humour those advocating deportation of UK residents with reasons why their plans would not work. Keep it simple, this is not the action of a civilised country. If needed, this will mean complete chaos and destruction of international reputation.
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
I truly think there should be a disclaimer on any think piece on disability benefits, or chronic illness in general, written by anyone who hasn't experienced chronic illness or disability. There's so much people don't see about what it takes to just make it through the day!
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
This is really all that needs saying on the latest cab sec discourse, isn't it
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Nick Davies @njdavies.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
The point of a multi-year spending review and regular SR cycle is to provide stability. That stability allows frontline public services to make long-term decisions that will deliver better outcomes and VfM. It's a big failure of policymaking if spending decisions are being reopened 4 months later
news.sky.com
Chancellor admits tax rises and spending cuts considered for budget
Speaking exclusively to Sky's deputy political editor Sam Coates, Rachel Reeves says Brexit, austerity, and the Liz Truss mini-budget have all played a role in damaging Britain's economy - as she prep...
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Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 14/10/2025
Relative child poverty has remained stubbornly high over the last twenty years and has risen over the past decade. Without action, levels will soon break records. Scrapping the two-child limit in full would be the most targeted and cost-effective way of reducing child poverty.
chart showing Relative child poverty has 
remained stubbornly high over the last twenty years and has risen over the past decade, 
from 27 per cent in 2013-14 to 31 per cent in 2023-24. As things stand, child poverty is on 
track to reach record highs within this Parliament
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
The new Ethics and Integrity Commission is already facing concerns about its power, independence & resources. @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social, @anticorruption.bsky.social & @spotlightcorruption.org warn the regulator is “vulnerable to political pressure” while its budget is set by the Cabinet Office:
civilserviceworld.com
Experts voice fears as Ethics and Integrity Commission goes live
Successor body to Committee on Standards in Public Life “needs full independence and statutory footing”, anti-corruption organisations warn
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
The Recording Industry would be a fun one
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Another director general moves to head up a charity. This feels like a theme... www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Home Office DG set to become RSPCA top cat
Joanna Rowland will take over as animal charity chief executive at the beginning of December
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Top tier punning!
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
...is to assume people don't have those needs, and is made harder by the widespread belief that disability can be "overcome" by trying harder. It's almost impossible to exist in our society without internalising that to some degree. That's before any real-world pushback on reasonable adjustments.
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Something I think isn't widely understood is (in many cases) no one tells you you're disabled. A lot of navigating disability is figuring out for yourself what your limits and access/support needs are, accepting that you need them and advocating for yourself. That can be hard when the default...
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
I loved this blog on internalised ableism and reasonable adjustments by @helenjeffries.bsky.social. V powerful observation on meeting people at training aimed at disabled people: "Almost everyone had that internal sense that if they only pulled themselves together somehow they’d not be disabled."
helenjeffries.wordpress.com
Fixed desk – hot button
One of my most important reasonable adjustments for autism is having a fixed desk. Like most workplaces, mine operates a hot-desking policy and colleagues have to book in advance where they will si…
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Loved reading this, thanks for sharing it. A really powerful observation about nearly everyone at the training having "that internal sense that if they only pulled themselves together somehow they’d not be disabled".
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
A PSA that no one is ever too old to read a Discworld novel or too young for the Sam Vimes boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Absolutely not! I read them when I was younger but I come back to the Discworld every few years. Incredibly rich world building, clever social commentary & rich characters, written with a lot of heart. A few aimed at a younger audience (Tiffany Aching/Wee Free Men) but most are good reads for adults
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Stuart Hoddinott @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
I'm increasingly convinced this is a huge driver of dissatisfaction with govt Council tax is one of the most visible taxes that people pay, it goes directly out of their bank account and they get a letter about it going up every year Yet bin collection frequency falls and libraries close
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Janet Hughes @janethughes.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Did a little interview with @beckiesmith.bsky.social @civilserviceworld.bsky.social - thanks v much Beckie for having me! :)
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Alice Lilly @aliceolilly.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Say what you will about GOV.UK, but this kind of thing (which is, to be clear, an absolutely outrageous political statement to make on an official government website) would never happen
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
This is horrifying rhetoric. Saying "if you're sick or disabled" in the same breath as suggesting people don't deserve state support if they haven't contributed isn't just nonsense, it's stigmatising and harmful to push the idea (that this government seems v fond of) that everyone CAN work
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Gavin Freeguard @gavinfreeguard.com · 24/09/2025
Great (if not surprising!) to see such a strong emphasis on openness, collaboration and community from @janethughes.bsky.social in the latest @civilserviceworld.bsky.social www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
Read the autumn 2025 issue of Civil Service World
Can government break the link between background and opportunity? Plus: exclusive interviews with civil service reform DG Janet Hughes, MoJ digital...
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
The obvious image that comes to mind is a phoenix. Whether the Lib Dems would welcome that or not...
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
It's been an exciting three months putting together our autumn issue as @suzannahb.bsky.social and @jessbowie.bsky.social move on to Exciting New Things (more ↓) and a delight to hand over the news desk to the ace @tevyemarkson.bsky.social. Read the autumn issue: library.myebook.com/csw/civil-se...
library.myebook.com
MYEBOOK - Civil Service World 333 - Autumn 2025
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Personal news! I'm now managing editor of @civilserviceworld.bsky.social, which means I'll be editing our quarterly print magazine from now on. If you're a senior civil servant with ideas about what you'd like to see in it, get in touch!
An open copy of CSW's autumn issue, an A4 magazine, on a wooden table. On the left-hand page is a column with the title "from the editor". The right-hand page is obscured by a second copy of the magazine, which has a red front cover with an illustration of an adult and a child standing in an open doorway, light streaming through it, at the top of some stairs. The magazine has the CSW logo at the top and the title "Opportunity knocks: can government break the link between background and success?" in large lettering on the front.
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
I've always been deeply suspicious of people who only voice concern about one cause when they're objecting to another. See also: men who comment on articles/posts about women's rights, saying "but what about men's mental health?" but never mention it outside of that. It's in bad faith.
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
“It’s an open secret in the civil service that you can’t get rid of repeat poor performers,” says @jo3hill.bsky.social Less than a third of civil servants in our survey said they believe talent and performance management is taken seriously: www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
Managing expectations: What do officials think of performance management in the civil service?
Pat McFadden has said failure to tackle poor performers is “one of the biggest barriers” civil servants face. But what do CSW readers think of how ...
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
What do officials think of performance management in the civil service? Here's what we found in our Alternative People Survey with @re-state.bsky.social... (Spoiler: one of the responses is “I have never seen talented colleagues so demoralised.”) www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
Managing expectations: What do officials think of performance management in the civil service?
Pat McFadden has said failure to tackle poor performers is “one of the biggest barriers” civil servants face. But what do CSW readers think of how ...
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Dave Penman @fdagensec.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
As I told @listentotimesradio.bsky.social, the premise that the civil service isn’t impartial because its inclusive and doesn’t discriminate against the LGBT+ community doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. When does a commitment to treat people equally become political?
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Great interview and write up - your first paragraph really gets to the heart of it. There's nothing simple or straightforward about this subject!
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
This is so important. I remember discussing this as an abstract concept at school, but my feelings on it have become a lot more complex since becoming disabled and seeing the everyday reality of disabled people around me (and seeing many, many discussions of MAID among pwME in particular).
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Civil Service World @civilserviceworld.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
For the first time the proportion of civil servants declaring that they have a disability matches representation in the economically active working-age population www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Civil Service Statistics: Self-declared disability hits record high – and finally matches working population
Ethnic minority and LGBO representation also continues to rise
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Now we know the Committee on Standards in Public Life will become the beefed-up Ethics and Integrity Commission, here's what CSPL chair Doug Chalmers had to say to @tevyemarkson.bsky.social recently on empathy, rapport and "zigzagging between departments": www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
'No one department owns all the bright ideas': An interview with standards watchdog Doug Chalmers
Committee on Standards in Public Life chair speaks to CSW about empathy, rapport and why 'zigzagging between departments is a really healthy thing'
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Gavin Freeguard @gavinfreeguard.com · 03/07/2025
Maybe we can get synthetic civil servants to speak at the events the real ones are banned from speaking at
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
How do you close a quango? My ace colleague @tevyemarkson.bsky.social spoke to experts ahead of NHS England's abolition: www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
How to close a quango: As DHSC prepares to absorb NHS England, we ask the experts
In light of the government’s decision to merge NHS England into DHSC, CSW explores the dos and don’ts of closing a quango – and unpacks some potent...
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
"No more interactive stakeholder events unless a minister is there? Just publications of text/video content pre-authorised by ministerial offices? Government grinds too slowly and this will jam the works completely."
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Zoë Crowther @zoecrowther.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Very Important News: @metoffice.gov.uk is currently accepting ideas for new storm names Waiting for Gusty McGustface to become the No1 choice www.metoffice.gov.uk/forms/name-o...
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Suzannah Brecknell @suzannahb.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
If you don't already get the @civilserviceworld.bsky.social newsletter you missed an excellent line up this afternoon- we ferreted through the SR documents to find the bits which matter for civil servants. Subscribe now and make sure you don't miss our follow-ups over the rest of this week
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
I'm always so proud of how our tiny @civilserviceworld.bsky.social team pulls together our fiscal event coverage in a few hours. Much more to come in the next few days – keep an eye out: www.civilserviceworld.com/news/tag.htm...
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Bad news for anyone waiting for the civil service strategic workforce plan – now coming later this year. "This lack of detail leaves civil servants with more questions than answers as to how [SR25] cuts are to be implemented," says @fdagensec.bsky.social: www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Civil service strategic workforce plan delay 'disappointing' – union chief
Civil servants left 'with more questions than answers' as to how Spending Review cuts are to be implemented, FDA head says
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
A new, "radically shorter" Treasury Green Book is coming next year: www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
‘Radically’ shorter Green Book will support place-based budgeting and transformational change
Treasury announces results of review into its guidance on appraising policies and projects
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Meanwhile, there's an extra £1.2bn to fund digital priorities (though not loads of extra detail on where that money will go): www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Spending Review: DSIT gets £1.2bn boost to fund cross-department digital priorities
Announcement brings total funding for cross-cutting digital priorities to £1.9bn over SR25 period
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
The big news for the civil service from today's Spending Review: overall administration budgets will be reduced by 16% by 2028-29, and departments will make at least 5% in total savings and efficiencies by the same date www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Departments agree 16% admin savings and 5% total efficiencies
OvFM helps departments find £13.8bn of annual efficiencies in day-to-day spending as part of 5% overall target
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Chuckling at this unfortunate phrasing from an interview I'm subbing with a senior public figure. Asked how he unwinds: "I do quite a lot of exercise. I row quite a lot with my wife." The danger of homonyms!
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
What does the head of the civil service's biggest union make of Labour's first almost-year in power? @tevyemarkson.bsky.social interviewed @pcsunion.bsky.social‬'s Fran Heathcote: www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
'Our members are losing faith': PCS's Fran Heathcote on job security, hybrid working and Labour's first 10 months
Heathcote happy with Cabinet Office's engagement with the union but warns its members are starting to lose faith in the government
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
In "there's a CSW story for everything" news, here's a thought-provoking piece soon-to-be civil service reform DG @janethughes.bsky.social wrote for us back in 2016 on boldness – too often "actively discouraged, squashed or derided": www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Government Digital Service programme director Janet Hughes: What if boldness were an explicit value of the civil service?
Civil servants will always need to be honest, impartial, objective, and act with integrity – but we must make sure we don’t encourage passivity or ...
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Janet Hughes @janethughes.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Afternoon all :) After 5 years in my role in Defra, I'm going to be leaving this June to take up a new role as Director General of Civil Service Reform and Efficiency in the @cabinetofficeuk.bsky.social
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Every wondered which departments have the nicest offices? Here's a look at the history of some of government’s most notorious buildings: www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
Wonders and blunders: The best and worst of government buildings
Forget break-out spaces and collaboration zones, many civil service offices of the past were ugly, impractical and unpleasant to work in. Jim Dunto...
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
I went through the latest civil service reform announcement line by line, so you don't have to: www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
Jobs moving out of London, office closures and Fast Stream targets: How much of today's civil service reform announcement is new?
Ministers have also promised 'thousands' of jobs will move to the regions and 50% of Fast Stream roles will be based outside the capital
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Why are hundreds of DWP staff at risk of losing their jobs and ability to stay in the UK? @tevyemarkson.bsky.social on why a pay policy quirk is making it difficult for grads to switch to skilled worker visas: www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...
civilserviceworld.com
‘Devastating’: Why are hundreds of DWP staff at risk of losing their jobs and ability to stay in the UK?
A quirk in the Department for Work and Pension’s pay policy means hundreds of staff are unable to extend their visas
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Beckie Smith @beckiesmith.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
After an online hiatus, I'm back! Here's some of the fun stuff we've been doing over at @civilserviceworld.bsky.social lately...
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