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Cabinet Secretary meets innovative Civil Servants in the North West

CAB 113-09 
7 December 2009

Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell was in the North West today meeting civil servants who have been helping the region through the economic downturn.

He was visiting Civil Service Live, a one-day event at the Manchester Central conference and exhibition centre, that brought together Civil Servants from across the region to share best practice and develop new ways of delivering services.

Sir Gus met three teenage apprentices who are about to take up placements in the Civil Service. They are Joseph Townsend, 17, from Urmston, Manchester, Sarah Derbyshire, 17, from Denton, Manchester and Joseph Turner, 19, from Standish, Wigan.

The three will all join the Government Office of the North West. Joseph Townsend, who is moving to his own flat after spending the last 10 years in care, will take up his placement in the Children and Learners Group; Sarah, will move to the administration team, and Joseph Turner is looking forward to working with the Housing, Planning and Transport group.

Sir Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service, said:

“I was delighted to meet these young apprentices who are so enthusiastic about working for the Civil Service. They are really keen to make a difference to people’s lives and I wish them all the best of luck in their future careers.

“A lot of people think the Civil Service is all about Sir Humphreys tucked away in Whitehall, but the vast majority of Civil Servants actually work outside London. Most civil servants work on the front line, delivering public services that have a vital role to play in helping places like the North West through the ongoing downturn.

“The Civil Servants I have met today here at the conference, are real unsung heroes, dedicated men and women who process benefits, inform people about the tax credits they can claim, or find work for the unemployed. Many of them have also been dealing with  the recent flooding in Cumbria, getting services up and running again and working towards recovery - a truly outstanding effort.”

Also speaking at the event are the Minister for the North West Phil Woolas, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health Hugh Taylor and the Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Ursula Brennan.

Notes to editors

1. Civil Service Live is being held at the Manchester Central conference and exhibition centre today (Monday 7 December ).
2. This is the second Civil Service Live event to be held outside London.
3. Civil Service Live Manchester has been organised by the Civil Service, the National School of Government and the Civil Service World newspaper.
4. Civil Service Live Manchester is open to civil servants at all grades and departments around the country. Civil servants will come together to participate in interactive workshops, attend learning and development sessions and listen to inspiring speakers.
5. The event features interactive sessions, tailored training programmes and a range of speakers from the public, private and third sectors.
6. For more details about the programme visit www.civilservicelive.com [External website]
7. The Civil Service nationally:
   • There are 490,000 civil servants around the country
   • The Civil Service makes up less than 2% of UK employment and around 9% of public sector employment
   • The Civil Service has delivered £26.5 billion of annual efficiency gains
   • Civil servants do a huge variety of jobs; from coastguards to vets, and from lawyers to meteorologists
   • The majority of civil servants work outside London in operational delivery roles and earn less than £25,000
     
     The Civil Service in the North West:
     
   • There are 60,000 civil servants working full-time in the North West – the second-highest number outside London, with the majority working for HMRC and DWP.
   • 60 per cent of the Civil Service workforce in the North West are women.
   • The average salary for full-time executive officers who make up the majority of the workforce in the North West is £21,420.

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