More than 10,000 public sector jobs could be cut as Labor pushes for 5% savings in its departments, a government source has said.
The number of heads of the civil service reached 513,000 this year, a 33 percent increase over 2016 levels and the eighth consecutive year of overall increases. According to the Institute for Govt.
Sources told the BBC that ministers have now accepted the numbers in the civil service “and in reality this cannot continue.”
On Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves Initiated cost review. That will force ministers to cut the budget in the run-up to the 2029 general election.
Current spending plans mean ministers will face tough choices about how to allocate money in the years after this Parliament.
To save money, ministers are already looking at voluntary redundancy schemes in various departments.
A government spokesman said the plans were to ensure “every part of government is delivering”. Preferences
“We are committed to making the civil service more effective and efficient, with bold initiatives to improve skills and harness new technologies,” the spokesperson said.
But a government source told the BBC it was recognized the civil service had become too large and inefficient.
The government is already risking a confrontation after unions reacted angrily to proposals for a 2.8 per cent pay rise for teachers, NHS staff and senior civil servants next year. Inflation – which measures changes in prices over time – is forecast to average 2.6% next year.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer drew last week. Angry with one of the biggest civil service unions After claiming that “too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in a warm bath of systematic deficits”.
Pete McFadden, the minister in charge of the Cabinet Office, echoed the Prime Minister’s comments on Monday. When announcing plans to change civil service recruitment. Government to “think a bit like a start-up”.
McFadden said he did not have a “headcount target” in the civil service, and claimed his focus was on making personnel more productive.
Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect trade union, said: “We need a clear plan for the future of the civil service that goes beyond the blunt headcount targets that have failed in the past.
“This plan needs to be developed in partnership with public servants and their unions, and we look forward to an even deeper relationship with the government in the coming months.”