Spending review must be built on the insights of those who deliver the Government’s missions

The Government has kicked off its full Comprehensive Spending Review, writing to departments asking them to identify 5% of efficiency and productivity savings.

The letter also asked departments to justify every line of spending against delivering on the Government’s stated ‘missions’.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said:

“We all want to see an efficient public sector that delivers high quality services at good value for money, but the reality is previous arbitrary cuts made in the name of efficiency have often ended up damaging services and costing more in the long run.

“If this spending review is to buck this trend, it needs to be built on the insight and expertise of public sector specialists who are the ones responsible for delivering the Government’s missions on a day-to-day basis.

“A responsible and prudent spending review is one that makes long term investment in the people and infrastructure that can deliver improved outcomes and helps to empower experts within and beyond the public sector.”