The head of the United Kingdom’s Public Service has acknowledged there will be difficult decisions ahead if Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s target of 91,000 job cuts over three years is to be met.
Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case said the decision to cut numbers by 20 per cent was “not taken lightly”.
In a joint email to staff with Chief Operating Officer, Alex Chisholm, Mr Case (pictured) said Mr Johnson and his Cabinet Ministers believed the Public Service to be “an excellent organisation, full of people who worked incredibly hard to deliver the priorities of the public”.
“However, the needs of the country are changing and we have to adapt to new realities,” Mr Case and Mr Chisholm said.
“This is an ambitious target, and there will be difficult decisions to make,” they said.
“To succeed, we will have to deliver this through efficiencies, prioritisation and genuine transformation.”
The two officials acknowledged that Public Servants would feel concerned about the news.
“Whilst we don’t have all the answers yet, we want to take this opportunity to share as much as we can,” they said.
The memo came after the Cabinet Office confirmed to trade unions that some redundancies would be needed to hit the 91,000 target.
The two officials called for redoubled efforts to accelerate change.
“By 2025, we will be leaner; but we will be more agile, more capable and better equipped to serve the country and respond to the challenges of the mid-21st century,” Mr Case and Mr Chisholm said.
London, 21 May 2022
