Bloated civil service needs to tighten its belt like rest of us

THE storm clouds are gathering over the economy. As inflation soars and the Bank of England warns of potential recession, the cost-of-living crisis looks set to worsen.

- Leo McKinstry

Yet against this troubled backdrop, a culture of complacency still prevails in large parts of the public sector. Many ordinary citizens may now be struggling, but much of the state bureaucracy, sustained by guaranteed revenues regardless of performance, continues to wallow in profligate inefficiency.

At times, it seems as if some of the vast Government machine is run primarily in the interests of its staff rather than the needs of the public.

That spirit is reflected in the unproductive working practices that be found across Whitehall and other organisations. Even with Covid in retreat, nothing like normal routines have been restored, with huge numbers of staff now working from home.

At the Department for Education, for example, just a quarter of civil servants are at their desks on any given day, while at the Department of Work and Pensions the figure rises marginally to 27 per cent.

HYBRID working can be successful in some businesses, but is unsuitable for a public body. For a start it means that taxpayers' money is being wasted empty offices in the capital and pointless London allowances. And many emergency and key workers, usually on lower pay, cannot enjoy the same perk.