Union calls for detail to back Audit Commission closure

Union calls for detail to back Audit Commission closure

Prospect members at the Audit Commission have reacted incredulously after a junior minister failed to explain how the target figure of £50m in savings would be achieved in his evidence to a parliamentary hearing.

The comments follow questioning from the Communities and Local Government Select Committee as part of its enquiry into the commission's abolition. When pressed for details of how the savings would be achieved, Housing Minister Grant Shapps failed to provide any figures saying the actual detail would be outlined in draft legislation.

On behalf of 1,300 commission staff, Prospect negotiator Richard Hardy said: "This beggars belief. It has been eight months since the secretary of state announced the closure, without any consultation, and yet the department is still unable to provide evidence of the savings said to be driving this decision.

"In its evidence to the consultation over the closure, Prospect not only repudiated the case for abolition, but presented examples of how the commission could maintain its core functions and still save £75m - more than the £50m the government claims can be saved through closure.

"Our members have been told repeatedly that the move is not driven by a desire to settle scores, but the lack of any detailed argument to back the government's financial claims makes that hard to swallow."

Hardy added that the minister's accusation of meddling via the media had also grated with members given the amount of misinformation regarding claims over poor spending habits that followed the initial abolition announcement.


  • 06 Apr 2011