Ministers to delegate some public appointments in attempt to cut delays

More than 4,000 appointments in public bodies such as the BBC, above, the Environment Agency, the Arts Council and the College of Policing are currently made by ministers. Photograph: imageBROKER/Alamy

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.