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10th June 2010; 3.00 pm - Impact of the Government cuts on Companies House Following government announcements on budget savings, Companies House have been working hard to plan how we can achieve the required cut of 11%; for the year, equivalent to £6.4 million. We are determined to base our decisions on the principles that we must minimise the impact on customers and manage any staff issues in line with our values. We have an enthusiastic and committed staff group at Companies House and a good relationship with trade union officials. We will work closely with all concerned to meet these challenges. We have announced immediate savings on travel, training, recruitment, hospitality and other discretionary items. This includes a ban on 1st class travel, a requirement to travel only when absolutely necessary and an external recruitment freeze. Additionally, we will look at reducing internal departmental spending where we believe that we can make prudent savings. In terms of our staff, a pay freeze will be introduced for 2010/11 - we will be in further discussion with the trade union on this matter. There will be no corporate efficiency awards for 2010/11 and measures will be taken to minimise overtime and reduce exposure to ‘on call’ costs as much as possible. To get anywhere near the 11% target we will need to reduce staff numbers. This is in line with our longer term strategy but our immediate challenge will mean an acceleration of this timescale. However, we have reassured staff that our aim is to reduce overall staff numbers by removing the need for agency staff, not replacing leavers and making any further reductions by voluntary means. There are costs associated with having two sites in the Cardiff area and it makes financial sense to bring together our South Wales teams on to one site. We have, therefore, initiated a project to consider the early closure of our Nantgarw offices. In the longer term we must continue to drive our electronic customer services and maximize their effectiveness even more as a customer resource. The challenge set by the new Government is about reducing cost and increasing efficiency whilst still improving services to customers. We will plan accordingly and work diligently to meet these aims. Neil White Companies House Press Team |
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Press Desk - introduction
