By Sir Richard Mottram This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm For 150 years the UK Civil Service was run by ‘generalists’ recruited in their youth to a single profession and developed into skilled administrators by a series of postings, usually between different departments. The system worked well for the 19th century and for much of the 20th century. The author explains how the changing environment and the complexities of government have brought the death of the ‘generalist’ and replacement by the professional. He outlines how the Professional Skills for Government agenda is responding to the new situation.

One of the world’s leading business schools has launched a Public Leadership Centre, which will aim to foster greater understanding of leadership development and to deliver value to both the public and voluntary sectors and to the people they serve.Ashridge Business School has established the centre to build on its experience in leadership development and executive education in some major public sector organisations. Its current public and voluntary sector clients include the National Health Service, the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations.

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The Government has been urged to reform the Council Tax system to lift more children out of poverty after new figures showed the Government had missed the first target in its pledge to eradicate child poverty by 2020.The report from the Department for Work and Pension showed the number of children in poverty has fallen by 700,000 since 1999, missing the target by 300,000. Responding to the figures the Local Government Association called on Ministers to reform the Council Tax system.

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