Under shake-up affecting about 4,000 roles, officials will run more of hiring process but ministers can have final say
Ministers are planning to speed up public appointments to bodies such as Ofcom, the Environment Agency and BBC by allowing more of the hiring process to be delegated to senior officials.
In the biggest shake-up of the public appointments process in a decade, the Cabinet Office is producing new guidance governing how candidates can be picked for about 4,000 public roles.
The changes are being made because of excessive delays in the hiring system and extended vacancies, with ministers currently consulted at every step of the process – meaning only about one in seven appointments were completed in less than three months.
Under the new rules, ministers will be able to choose to delegate much more of the process to officials, while retaining the final say over who is chosen and the job specification.
