Government launches crackdown on ‘inappropriate’ Civil Service events

Civil servants face a crackdown on “inappropriate” staff events under new rules announced on Tuesday.

Mandarins will need approval from senior managers before holding staff network events, which must take place outside working hours unless they “directly benefit the organisation”.

Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the Government is “taking action to prevent inappropriate uses of networks in the Civil Service”.

The Civil Service has more than 20 cross-government “staff networks” aimed at providing support for workers from underrepresented groups.

They include networks for LGBT people, parents, carers, disabled people and several religions.

Although the Cabinet Office did not provide specific examples of “inappropriate uses” of Civil Service networks, media reports have criticised some events organised by some of the groups.

In August, a seminar organised by the HMRC Race Network on “the emotional complexity of being South Asian and British” was cancelled following stories in the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph, while defence officials were criticised in 2023 for planning to attend a Vegetarian and Vegan Network conference during working hours.

The new guidance also “reconfirms” that networks must abide by the Civil Service Code, remaining impartial and not seeking to influence Government policy.

Last year, the Civil Service Muslim Network suspended its activity amid claims it had hosted events in which speakers encouraged members to try to influence policy towards Israel.

The network subsequently resumed its activities with what Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould described as “senior sponsors appointed to ensure all network activity is in line with relevant guidance”.