The 2024 UK General Election is set to shake-up many policy areas with defence, health and housing featuring heavily. Sprinkle in the main political parties pledging not to raise tax burdens and 35% of public spending going to the five largest departments, and that puts civil servants firmly at the heart of re-imagining how citizen outcomes can be realistically achieved post-4th July. This article outlines tactics for maintaining momentum on key services during the pre-election period whilst preparing to adapt to different policy steers in the months that follow.
Navigating the Pre-Election Period: A Guide for Civil Service Leaders
Senior leaders are expected to ensure that essential services and commitments progress seamlessly, despite pre-election restrictions on new initiatives and announcements. Allocating resources efficiently without compromising the quality of public services and being ready for a change in direction can be a difficult balance to get right. In the absence of certainty, we recommend:
- Focusing on what obligations you have to end users today and reviewing these services for their criticality. By assessing the relative priority of each service and its value (particularly if this can be released early), you can align people in the short to medium term to areas least likely to be impacted from upcoming change.
- Considering combining funding applications ahead of the upcoming Spending Review to increase likelihood of getting the budget required. For example, the Accounting Officer for a Department may have received separate funding applications from different directorates. Working together across directorates and functional areas such as Policy and Digital to create a joint funding application can help make a stronger case for finance.
- Creating a statement of value (if one doesn’t exist) that succinctly explains the importance of ongoing projects using clear metrics that tie back to the department’s strategy (i.e. digital strategy, civil service people plan). This will enable leaders to articulate the purpose, value and strategy behind their work, and effectively advocate for the necessary resources. It will also help to influence incoming senior stakeholders and keep vital operations running smoothly.
Maintaining Team Momentum Amidst Government Changes
Given uncertainty about the post-election departmental landscape and a possible machinery of government (here’s a few of the GOV.UK changes from 2023), it can be tricky to maintain team momentum and morale. To help keep wellbeing high throughout, we would advise:
- Reflecting on progress against goals, discussing team performance against outcomes and key metrics and where individuals may have demonstrated certain behaviours in the Success Profile Framework as part of career development
- Creating a psychologically safe and transparent space for your teams to air concerns, sharing your own experiences of past periods of change to help those who may not have experienced something similar before
- Facilitating “feedback trees” and recognition sessions where team members share post-it notes on each other, acknowledging their positive contributions and celebrating success
Overall, elections bring a truly unique opportunity for a renewed focus by government and the electorate on services delivered for citizens. Anticipating where policy changes may impact services, preparing messages and content to enable a policy pivot if needed and supporting team wellbeing throughout will help you navigate the pre-election period and beyond.
Interested in learning more about navigating public sector changes? Get in touch with our experts for strategies that ensure seamless service delivery during the election period and beyond.