VOA is not a failing organisation – it is hard to see how this move will improve its operation

The government has announced that the Valuation Office Agency will be scrapped in a drive to slash inefficiencies.

The announcement comes ahead of the government’s review of the status of hundreds of Arm’s-Length Bodies.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect said:

“The decision to bring VOA into HMRC has been made with no warning and no consultation with unions at a local or national level.

“It’s worth noting this decision falls entirely outside the ongoing review of arm’s length bodies. Indeed, were the terms of the ALB review applied to the VOA we believe it would not be in the running to have its status changed.

“VOA is not a failing organisation; staff there do a very valuable job and it is hard to see how bringing it under direct HMRC control will improve its operation. Indeed, the Agency is in the middle of a high-profile Revaluation exercise which could be adversely affected by unnecessary structural changes.

“This is a slap in the face to hard-working civil servants. Prospect will be pushing for a full consultation on what happens next and will be working to ensure that our members’ jobs and employment terms are not at risk due to this change.

“The Government should ask itself what logic is being applied to the review of ALBs if it is going to ignore its own criteria for whether or not an agency is scrapped or brought in-house. Prospect will be holding Ministers to account on this.”