During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Civil Service has seemed to gain a greater reliance on the use of contractors in lieu of Civil Servants. The use of contractors may allow for “quick wins” in getting people in posts, however the cost incurred to the taxpayer is much greater and as such is viewed as contentious to the public especially in the current economic climate. The extended period of time we have now endured in the pandemic now means contractors are still being used for longer life posts. The highlighted use of contractors within the Civil Service, particularly in an emergency crisis, allows us to follow with a close scrutiny into their use and how to avoid or decrease such dependencies in future. Which will also in turn allow us to identify ways to increase and improve Civil Service capability and how it reacts to emerging crises.
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