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Agencies under threat provide essential public services

4 June 2010

The government agencies so far earmarked for closure as part of the £6 billion extra cuts planned by the Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition provide vital public services and thousands of jobs, PCS says.

The new government has moved quickly to announce the abolition of several non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), but with little thought about the effect this will have on local economies, the services they provide to the public and other agencies and professions, and the livelihoods of the staff whose jobs are at risk.
 
So far, NDPBs in the firing line include the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and the schools IT agency Becta, both based in Coventry, which between them employ more than 800 people.
 
Yesterday (3 June), education secretary Michael Gove said he intends to abolish the General Teaching Council, which employs more than 200 people, including 150 in Birmingham. The council was set up to improve the safety, welfare and education of children by enforcing professional standards among teachers.
 
Other plans unveiled include the abolition of the Government Office for London, with the closure of the remaining eight government offices also under consideration. Government offices are one stop shops for communities, local government, police authorities, businesses and charities, and employ more than 2,000 people across the UK.
 
Coupled with the closure of, or reduction in funding for, regional development agencies, the union believes this would seriously undermine the ability of local economies to grow, and risks deepening the impact of the recession.
 
Staff at Standards for England, which develops and monitors ethical standards of elected and co-opted members of local councils, have also been told they face the axe. This would leave the public with no independent body to investigate and monitor local representatives.
 
PCS deputy general secretary Hugh Lanning said: “In many cases, the government has announced the closure of agencies in the media with little thought for what will replace them and without informing or engaging with the staff who work there. This is no way to do government and no way to treat your workforce.
 
“Our members will not sit back and watch their livelihoods and the public services they provide being attacked in this way, and we are committed to working with other public sector unions where we can to oppose these damaging, politically-motivated cuts.”

 

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