Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 26
Relocation targets for civil service posts lack clear rationale and consistent reporting of progress.
Conclusion
The Government appears to be making progress towards its target of relocating 22,000 posts by 2030, and steady progress towards a target of reducing the proportion of Senior Civil Service posts based in London to 50% of the total. However, a number of issues with the framing and reporting of these targets makes it difficult to judge how substantial the Government’s achievements are. It is striking that the Cabinet Office has published so little information on the rationale and design of its Places for Growth programme, and also its new Plan for London. In particular, the Cabinet Office has not published a clear and definitive statement on the exact region from which it is seeking to relocate posts, nor of exactly what its target for senior officials is. In some of its communications it is also adopting a boosterish approach to reporting progress, which is likely to give an exaggerated picture of its achievements. Overall, the Cabinet Office has not done the basics of launching a programme well, notably failing to be clear and consistent in framing the rationale underlying the programme and the targets it is aiming to achieve.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the committee's inquiry and highlights progress made through the Places for Growth and Government Hubs programmes. They state they support enhanced transparency and have accepted recommendations where appropriate.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
26
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
9. The Government will publish relevant programme documentation for Places for Growth and the Plan for London.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗