Taxpayers are 'let down by poor skills and waste in Civil Service'

Three reports today blasted Whitehall for inefficiency, poor business skills and bad planning.

In the first blow to the Civil Service, a study for the Institute for Government think tank concluded “too few” departments had any idea how to tackle serious skills shortages among officials.

It said taxpayers were missing out on quality and savings in moves to open up more public services to the private sector because “commercial skills in Whitehall were particularly scarce”.

A second report by the institute said reforms to schools, hospitals and other core services could “undermine service standards” unless officials learn how to manage them better.

The third report said up to £800 million a year could be slashed from the £1.8 billion cost of running government buildings by 2020.

However, MPs on the powerful Public Accounts Committee said it would require departments to surrender control of their buildings to a central system.

More hot desking and open-plan designs were needed to improve the way the Government’s five million square metres of office space are used, the MPs said.

The Cabinet Office said it was bringing in new methods and training to boost efficiency as well as tackle skills shortages.