Bridging the Gap: Shared values and opportunities between local and regional governments and the Civil Service

On 29 April the Civil Service Commission hosted an online event exploring the opportunities and benefits of movement between local and regional governments and the Civil Service. 

In line with the Commission’s 2025-27 strategy, we brought together voices from across the public sector to discuss how interchange can broaden expertise, break down silos, and ultimately lead to better outcomes for the public.

The panel, chaired by First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart, opened with personal reflections from Katharine Hammond, who moved from a career in the senior Civil Service to become Chief Executive of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority last year. Katharine noted that while the environments differ, the core mission remains identical. In reference to Civil Service values, Katharine mentioned that “the values are exactly the same and held just as dearly by those in regional and local government”. She highlighted that there can be a shorter decision chain and a greater sense of immediacy of impact outside central government. Tom Riordan, who previously served as Chief Executive of Leeds City Council and is now the Envoy for the Northern Growth Corridor at HMT, said that there is a shared sense of wanting to “do the right thing” and stewardship of taxpayers’ money. Tom said that accountability to Parliament felt sharper in central government, while accountability to the citizen was more direct in local government. Both panellists talked about the importance of building new professional networks as part of making the switch.

Helen Jenkins, Director of Commercial and Resourcing, Local Government Association and Neil Wooding, Civil Service Commissioner, discussed comparable skills in local, regional and central government. Neil shared his experience as a Commissioner overseeing senior recruitment into the Civil Service where he sees leadership and expertise in candidates from local government, although the language is different. Helen said the deep dedicated specialisms found in local authorities complement the broader generalist policy expertise encouraged within the Civil Service, and that “our shared public sector values are the middle of the Venn diagram”. Helen noted “we develop policy that fits local communities when we work closely together”. Neil discussed the Commission’s role in enabling transitions between the local government and the Civil Service through the use of exceptions to the Recruitment Principles, noting Exception 3, which facilitates secondments to the Civil Service. 

GovXchange

The event closed with a practical guide to the GovXchange programme from the Government People Group. This is an initiative run in partnership with the Local Government Association, and is currently piloting in hubs within Darlington, Leeds, Sheffield, and Manchester. The programme provides an opportunity for civil servants to undertake secondments to local or strategic authorities, and for employees from those authorities to join the Civil Service on secondment. The programme is open to individuals of all experience levels, professional backgrounds, and roles. The programme accommodates different secondment types, including short-term, long-term, part-time arrangements, and job swaps.

We are very grateful to all our panellists for taking part and would like to thank all those who joined us online. 

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