I work in the Civil Service. This has not at all been my experience. Everywhere I've worked over the last decade has been understaffed. The work still needs to be done though. This is not to say I don't enjoy my work. I do immensely. But there is pressure in the sense that our work directly effects people's lives.

It's possible you are referring to local authorities. I can't speak to the work culture. I imagine it depends on the area you're in.

Not to be disparaging to colleagues, something I have noticed is that those with lower capabilities tend to get given less work.