What a waste

GIVEN the number of prominent business people who have been recruited to assist successive Prime Ministers, it is depressing that Whitehall remains bedevilled by inefficiency.

The reason individuals like Arcadia boss Sir Philip Green, the man appointed by David Cameron to look at the inner workings of government, are so successful is that they have a zero-tolerance approach towards issues like waste and poor service.

If only senior civil servants thought likewise.

For, if they had put the public interest before their personal fiefdoms, the Government might not have become so bloated, both in terms of staff numbers and the excessive size of Whitehall's property portfolio that borders upon the indefensible.

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It does seem absurd, as Sir Philip observed, that individual departments procure goods and services in isolation rather than combining their buying power. The latter happens effectively at a local authority level; there is no justification for the Civil Service exempting itself from this process.

Sir Philip's considered report, however, highlights a wider characteristic that needs to be addressed. When a new policy is implemented, it invariably involves the creation of a new quango that requires suitable offices of its own rather than making do with under-utilised premises down the road.

This mindset must change. Politicians and their officials must start considering whether a new service can be undertaken within existing resources – and offices.

Business people abide by this principle every day. So, too, should the Government if Mr Cameron is serious about cutting waste.