WIREDGOV

PCS condemned plans outlined today in the Treasury’s final report of the Operational Efficiency Programme to cut government spending by £15 billion.

The plans will result in the Land Registry being cut by a half at a cost of 4,000 jobs and to open it up to privatisation through market testing.

The union went on to accuse the government of preparing to sell off the family silver with its plans for the Royal Mint.

The plans detailed in a Treasury report by Margaret Thatcher’s privatisation guru, Gerry Grimstone, also opened the way to outsourcing and sell offs in other areas such as the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency (DSDA), the Met Office and Ordnance Survey.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "This really is a case of back to the future with Margaret Thatcher’s privatisation guru preparing the ground to sell off the family silver.

"We have seen the impact of botched privatisations and IT outsourcing in areas such as passports, the Criminal records Bureau and Tax Credits, resulting in the government bailing out the private sector at a cost of millions to the taxpayer.

"It is increasingly apparent that these so called efficiency savings are spending cuts which we fear will result in real people with bills to pay and mouths to feed loosing their jobs.

"We would urge the Chancellor to recognise tomorrow, as Harriet Harman has already, that you cannot cut your way out of a recession."