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New Government announces £6.2 billion of cuts across Whitehall - £535 Million Cut from DWP Budget

25 May 2010

DWP management met with PCS today to announce to us DWP?s share of the cuts to be made by the new Government.

Management told us that £535 million was to be cut from the Department’s budget for 2010/2011 largely under the headings of consultants, printing, IT projects, estate costs, marketing and research; although there was a real lack of detail provided which prevented PCS from responding properly. Once all the detail is known there may be further arguments we need to make. Although PCS welcomes ending expenditure on genuine waste such as the Departments use of consultants, we do not believe that £535 million can be cut from the Departments budget without effecting the services we deliver or the conditions members work in.

The paper also contained an announcement of a civil service wide recruitment freeze except for key front line posts.

PCS made the points strongly that spending on staffing in DWP is an investment. We told DWP management of our belief that staffing in the whole of DWP must be protected.

DWP staffing levels must be protected to:

1) Keep Getting Britain Working and Paying Taxes

Staff in Jobcentre Plus have done a fantastic job in helping keep unemployment lower than predicted by helping customers into work faster. We have been so effective that the previous chancellor noted in his budget speech of 24 March 2010 that our efforts had saved £4 billion pounds by reducing unemployment quicker than expected. Our army of 15,000 FTA staff played a significant role in this. In April 2010 500 staff left Jobcentre Plus and unemployment rose by 53,000. DWP must make all of our FTA staff permanent now and protect staffing levels to keep making savings and getting Britain working.


2) Protect the Vulnerable in Society by Paying Benefits Correctly and on time

Staff levels across DWP ensure that our vulnerable customers get the money they need to live on. Staffing cuts in processing would not only lead to customers being left in hardship but also to error and overpayments – reducing the efficiency of the department.

3) Programme Protection

The work members do in areas like fraud, CMEC and debt recovery is vital in protecting the expenditure of the department. Not staffing those areas sufficiently is a completely false economy.

4) Corporate Centre

Although corporate centre work may not be considered as “key” or “frontline”, members there are vital in ensuring that our work is delivered efficiently and that policy is based on sound evidence with new initiatives properly planned and implemented.

The new Government have made much about reducing waste, something PCS would not disagree with. We are however deeply concerned that staffing levels are protected across DWP. Cutting staff in DWP – the effect of a recruitment freeze, would lead to inefficiency not savings.

  New government announces cuts across Whitehall

 

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