Quote Originally Posted by jon1959 View Post
There are many cultures in the public sector (as there are in the private sector).

I am out of it now, but when I was working (mostly public sector - but started in the private) I was exposed to Councils, Fire & Rescue, the police and parts of the NHS. There were pockets of excellence - both culture and performance. There were areas or services with poor leadership (or no leadership). There were places where funding and incoherent political direction was the main problem. There were many areas (especially in Council services) where decades of expertise and knowledge were discarded within a year (thanks George Osbourne).

My Council experience (from 1986 to 2014) moved from 'professional but paternalistic', through high performing, motivated and inclusive (staff and service users), to gutted and demoralised - which is where we still are as a country!
All valid points and you are correct there are numerous cultures within the very broad spectrum of the public sector. I refer more to local authorities and having worked in them before and after COVID and still know many working in it now, I think the change is remarkable and wholly negative. The difference is much starker than before or after the financial crisis and following austerity etc, although clearly the years of that impacted.

People are just not sharing information, engaging with colleagues, ensuring work gets done properly, allowing staff to develop etc now. It's a huge issue.