Government must recognise the fine line between cutting bureaucracy and undermining essential functions of the state

The Prime Minister has announced plans to reform Whitehall including making significantly more use of AI and digital and technical skills to deliver more efficient services.

 

The PM said that he valued the people who deliver services but complained that for too long some the function of some agencies had acted as a “blocker” to the government delivering on its goals.

He also announced that he would be abolishing NHS England, bringing it back into the Department of Health and Social Care to avoid duplication.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said:

“The Prime Minister is right that the civil service is full of talented people who want to serve their country, and that reform is needed to make the best use of their skills. Prospect is up for this debate and ready to work with government to deliver on this agenda.

“An essential part of this reform needs to be ensuring that the pay framework enables the civil service to recruit and retain ‘the brightest and the best’ in areas like science and digital, and it is good to see that the government accepts this problem.

“But the government must recognise that there is a fine line between cutting back bureaucracy and undermining the essential functions of the state. Civil servants in agencies such as HSE and the Environment Agency are at the frontline of delivering on the government’s missions – writing them off as ‘blockers’ is a profound mistake. Prospect will be making the case that good regulation is the foundation of economic success, not a barrier to it.”