The Government has already promised savings of £35 billion a year by 2011 on top of the £26.5bn a year already delivered through the Gershon efficiency review. But by identifying new ways of working, it is committing to deliver more than another £12bn in efficiency savings over the next four years. This includes £3bn of new efficiency savings identified since the Budget - of which over £1.3bn will come from streamlining central government.
The report describes how the centre of government has an important role providing leadership on big challenges, setting policy priorities, setting standards and building capacity in the public services. And it adds that the way the centre goes about this has changed radically in the past decade. But it also sets out how it must go further, and aim to go from a world-class administration to one of the very best, by becoming even more agile and effective.
Government will do four things to sharpen its centre:
Reforming the civil service: reshaping structures, strengthening performance management and encouraging innovation
Rationalising and reforming arms length bodies
Improving back office processes to the standard of the best
Managing assets more effectively and a more strategic approach to the Government estate, including a review into relocating further civil service posts from London.
Full details of “Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government” are available on the HMG website.
