As ministers push for reforms in the civil service, the Cabinet Office has cut almost a third its staff.
Today, officials at the Cabinet Office were informed that 2,100 jobs out of 6,500 will be eliminated or transferred to other departments of the government in the next two-year period.
Cat Little, Cabinet Office’s chief civil servant, stated that she wanted to see the department under the leadership of Pat McFadden, MP, chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster, become “more strategic, specialized, and smaller”.
Cabinet Office has said that the cuts, along with other reforms will save PS110m per year by 2028.
Cabinet Office is responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and coordinating the work of departments with more specific mandates.
Prospect, a civil service union, warned that “slashing to this extent” would likely harm the delivery of government services.
In addition to those leaving through the voluntary redundancy program launched in January, the mutually-agreed exits scheme announced by March also includes those who are leaving.
The department has reportedly supported more than 500 applications for voluntary exit schemes, which is more than 400 initially planned.
In the coming months, a restructure will remove roles that are no longer needed and provide staff with support so they can fill new vacancies.
Around 900 employees have already left since the new government took power in July 2024, and this includes those who were transferred when the Government Digital Service was transferred to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
In two years, the Cabinet Office will have a headcount of 4,400. This is 2,100 less than December 2024 when it had 6,500.
These figures exclude those employed by the Cabinet Office’s arms-length bodies, or the Fast Stream team and government commercial experts.
The Cabinet Office will streamline its 40 units of business into six groups. The Cabinet Office is focusing on five major goals: delivering Plan for Change, strengthening the UK’s security and international partnerships; supporting the Union; good governance in the UK; and improving the safety and resilience.
The unions of civil service warned that the cuts would hinder Labour’s reform program.
Lucille Thirlby, FDA assistant general secretary said: “Civil service workers are desperate for reform. Refocusing the Cabinet Office’s work may be a great place to begin.” As we have seen with the restructuring of NHS England, there is a distinction between reforming and reducing. Success of reforms depends on the extent of the cuts.
Cabinet Office plays a key role in the coordination of cross-government activities. A third of the department’s core will have an impact on the delivery of government agendas, such as the Plan for Change. Ministers must now be upfront about what they will no longer do as a government in the wake of these cuts.
Mike Clancy, the general secretary of Prospect (the trade union of specialist civil servants), said that “Blunt reductions of this magnitude will make it difficult to play this role and may impact on delivery throughout government.”
Clancy said Prospect will seek assurances from the Cabinet Office about whether there will be any compulsory redundancies.
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