The Cabinet Office Efficiency and Relocation Support Programme works with Civil Service organisations to manage efficiency and relocation, while minimising the need for compulsory redundancy.
On 1 April 2008, the Cabinet Office and Council for Civil Service Unions agreed strengthened protocols for efficiency and relocation. These were endorsed by the minister with responsibility for the Civil Service and the Permanent Secretaries Employee Relations Group.
The Gershon Review, part of our 2004 Spending Review, announced that to achieve the necessary efficiency savings we would need to remove 84,000 posts by 2008.
At the same time, the Lyons Relocation Review identified 20,000 Civil Service posts that could be relocated outside London and the South East, with a target of 2010.
The Gershon Review and the Lyons Review have formed the basis of the HM Treasury Efficiency Programme.
The role of the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office plays a vital part in delivering Civil Service efficiencies. Its role includes:
- developing protocols to be used in managing reductions
- working closely with HR directors to share information and experiences
- setting up central/regional forums to support organisations in their efforts to manage workforce reductions, without resorting to compulsory redundancies
- providing regional support through a network of regional cooordinators