| Cockerels shot dead after four month hunt A council spent four months trying to capture a group of cockerels accused of disturbing a rural village only to end up having to shoot the birds dead. telegraph.co.uk |
Philip Green's efficiency purge recommends more centralisation Topshop chief's report says government wastes billions every year by failing to negotiate the best contractsThe government has little control over the money its own civil servants spend and is wasting billions every year by failing to negotiate the best contracts for phones, IT equipment and rent, according to the Topshop boss Sir Philip Green, who was brought in by ministers to assess efficiency in Whitehall.If the government were a business, it would fail, according to Green, whose efficiency review reveals how the government is wasting money on empty buildings, lazy contracts and wasteful purchasing procedures. His report recommends a significant centralisation of government procurement to drive down costs. It paints a picture of civil servants who lack the financial skills to negotiate the best contracts – and the will to save public money.Green told Sky: "The only reason the government can operate like this and we can't is that they've got a printing press that prints money and we don't."David Cameron said that Green had identified "crazy" expenditure starting under the last government.Green, boss of the Arcadia retail group which includes BhS and Topshop, recommends a massive centralisation of government finances, with centralised procurement bodies, negotiators for big contracts and checks on all items of expenditure to authorise every penny spent.The report identifies massive variation in procurement with one department paying £73 for a box of paper and another paying £8. The most paid for printer cartridges is £398 and the least is £86. The most expensive cup of coffee in a Whitehall canteen is £1.45 and the least is 90p. Whitehall also spends £21m a year on 105,000 mobile phones for its staff, 98% of which are with the same provider. But departments take out contract for the phones separately so despite collectively being one of the biggest customers, government fails to negotiate the price down properly.There are 71,000 central government "buyers" with a monthly spending limit of up to £1,000, which is not monitored even though the total amount being spent was around £1bn.Green struggled to get basic information out of the government about its expenditure. He was initially told that transport costs were £2bn; the second estimate was £500m and the third estimate was £768m. Finally, a thorough review revealed that the actual spending was £551m.The £25bn property bill could be reduced, he said. One government agency recently located to the Midlands, signing a 20 year lease with no break for 15 years with a rent bill of £1.2m a year. That agency has been abolished leaving an unnecessary rental commitment of £18m. The Qualification and Curriculum Development Agency moved to Coventry last year and was promptly abolished by the coalition. The cabinet office is putting departments under new pressure to renegotiate costly rental contracts and a dedicated public expenditure committee for asset sales is looking to maximise a sell-off of unused buildings.Cameron told a press conference at 10 Downing Street: "I think it is a very solid report that goes into how much money we have wasted over a period in the last decade when we have had increasing public spending and yet we have made crazy decisions about property, about IT, about shared services."Some of it, about the different costs of computers across government or even cups of coffee across government is pretty chilling reading. Under the last government, the sluice gates were opened, the money was spent and there weren't nearly enough questions asked about how can we purchase better, save money, find efficiencies."Civil serviceSir Philip GreenPolly Curtisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
McGuinness in warning to Robinson Martin McGuinness warns Peter Robinson against "taking on" the Catholic Church over the provision of education in Northern Ireland. bbc.co.uk |
Spending review: The 'cuts' that mean public spending soars Britain's £800m a year to India helps to pay for its space programme, writes Christopher Booker. telegraph.co.uk |
Sunday's football as it happened Arsenal thump 10-man Man City, Javier Hernandez scores twice as Manchester United win at Stoke and Liverpool win at home against Blackburn in the Premier League. news.bbc.co.uk |