unclebuck

So, under the guise of efficiency and cost reduction. 20,000 civil servants might be relocated outside London. Hmm…. This wouldn’t have anything to do with fear of terrorism would it?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3512524.stm

If you ask me, Blair and his cronies want to run away and preserve their own skins, while leaving other hardworking Londoners to man the frontline. Typical.

UB

GM

No, I think it's more to do with (a) not having to pay people London allowances and (b) not having to pay London office prices/rents....

unclebuck

Could be. But spending money doesn't usually bother New Labour. Usually they just introduce another stealth tax to pay for their excesses.

I reckon they've realised that they have put their own butts at risk from terrorist attack and they want out, pronto. Think about it, the projected savings are paltry in the scheme of things. And there is a General Election looming - we've all seen what is likely to happen these days when election time comes. They're cacking in their pants now.

UB

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

No, it's been on the cards for a long time - since well before the current paranoia took hold.

TopBanana

I hate New Labour but I think this is a good idea

unclebuck

I think it's a good idea to cut down on waste in the Civil Service, but breaking it up into small regional units can't be good for 'joined up' Government, not that we have that now, anyway. As always with New Labour I'm sure there will be some hidden agenda behind this move. I'm convinced it's driven by fear of terrorism.

imlach

Nah, it's been happening in Scotland now for a few years.
Moving ppl out of central belt (Edin/Glas) to Inverness etc......

Moves jobs to higher-unemployement areas to make figures look better

Muffleman

Yeah but it's actually only 10,000 full time jobs - you ever been able to speak to a civil servant after 3:30pm ?

Brendan Hughes

Friend of mine in Dept of International Development was telling me about this last August. You don't really think they come up with a plan to relocate 20 000 people over a weekend do you?

Brit_in_Japan

They moved the MOD purchasing out of London to Bristol what, 6 years ago ?

May not be popular with the top civil servants, taking them so far away from their gentlemen's clubs but it's better for a number if reasons
1. can move into more modern offices which have better IT infrastructure
2. reduced wage bills, no London weighting
3. regional policy, effectively puts investment in places other than the South East
4. can generate good money from rental or sale of high value London property

ChrisB

A private company could - a bunch of CS's will take six years and be 9 times over budget

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

It would be a good idea to put the new centres in areas of high unemployment, if that's what they ACTUALLY did.

But they won't: the new places will go to cities with low unemployment like Sheffield and Leeds, like they always do.
They want to try relocating something into the wasteland I live in, or Hull, or the North East, and I DON'T mean NEWCASTLE......... Hartlepool, Darlington, Middlesborough etc.

Alcazar

Bubba po

Just relocate one.... back home in time to get my tea on.