Slim pickings from belt-tightening / Guardian, 4 July 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jul/04/efficiency?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews
Anna Bawden
"So-called value for money delivery agreements have been published, setting out individual departments' obligations. Health and education have to find the biggest savings: £8.2bn and £4.5bn respectively. Of the other main Whitehall departments, defence has to find £2.7bn, the Home Office £1.4bn, work and pensions £1.2bn and communities and local government £0.9bn. Most of the £20bn economies in these seven departments will come from their delivery arms: the NHS, schools, the police, housing and so on. ... But to be successful, the government will have to be much more vocal about the need for more efficiency. And if the public hasn't noticed any improvement in efficiency at all, the chances of Gershon 2 having an impact are very slim."