Slashing departmental budgets in real terms at this time will bring disaster for vital services

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has today written to all civil servants thanking them for their work and saying that there will be no top-down target for reducing headcount. Previously the government had said it wanted to see 91,000 job cuts.

The Prime Minister did however make clear that there would likely be spending cuts in the offing, and there have also been reports that civil service pay awards next year will be capped at 2%.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect union, said:

“The fact the PM has jettisoned the 91,000 job cuts simply underlines it was an arbitrary number announced without a plan to achieve it. We agree with the PM’s message today that cites ‘our brilliant civil service’ but due to the catastrophic mini-budget a month ago, public finances are in jeopardy such that the government remains hell-bent on another round of damaging austerity.

“Attempts to slash departmental budgets in real terms at this time will bring disaster for vital services and, despite this reversal on the 91,000 jobs target which Prospect and the other Unions have argued for, it will leave many dedicated public servants still fearful for their jobs.

“If the government wants to rebuild trust with civil servants and reward their brilliance they must also abandon their plans to slash redundancy terms and lift the current 3% ‘cap’ on pay settlements. If reports of a 2% limit on pay awards for next year are true then the PM’s thank you today will ring hollow and reflect a return to austerity that will undermine the very services and staff that are the subject of his praise.”