Will Whitehall sideline the new reform director?

Yet again an outsider from the civil service machine has been hired to stir up the sleepy mandarins of Whitehall. Will this new appointment end up like so many before, shunted into the sidings?
For the appointment of ex-Kent CC chief executive Katherine Kerswell as the new director of civil service reform already follows a year of prevarication and foot-dragging in Whitehall about whether such a post should go ahead at all. This time a year ago the Commons Public Administration Committee was highly critical of the failure to find a candidate to lead the change programme expressing concern that 'it has not proved possible to recruit a director general to drive reform from the centre of Whitehall'. And it said this 'may suggest a lack of commitment to fundamental restructuring at senior official level.'
The Cabinet Office had apparently first advertised internally to fill the role,had no luck and then decided to downgrade the post by dividing it into two less senior positions at Senior Civil Service 2 executive director level. The PASC was not happy with this. Its report last September, Change in government: the agenda for leadership, stung Whitehall into readvertising the position, this time externally, last February 2012. A shortlist was drawn up, a very suitable candidate with a local government and Treasury background was offered the job only for this candidate to change their mind and withdraw. The process began again, this time ending in success.
Katherine Kerswell is certainly experienced and her departure from Kent reflected in no way on her abilities although her substantial pay-off has garnered unwelcome attention. More challenging will be helping to drive through a huge change programme, as outlined in the Cabinet Office Civil Service Reform Plan published in June. Katherine will remember the short-lived Office of Public Sector Reform led by Dr Wendy Thomson and set up by Tony Blair. Whitehall has form in politely but firmly sidelining outside change agents. Katherine would be well advised to spend some time over the next few weekend revisiting back DVDs of Yes Minister.