FDA tells MPs: Little progress made in creating SCS opportunities outside London

Wednesday 22 Feb 2023 @ 14:10
FDA

FDA Assistant General Secretary Amy Leversidge has told MPs that “the dysfunctional nature of strategy making in the civil service” is partly responsible for a lack of progress in moving civil servants out of London.

Appearing alongside colleagues from PCS and Prospect, before the House of Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee (PACAC), Leversidge provided oral evidence for their ‘Planning for the future of the Government’s estates’ inquiry, which is exploring government plans to relocate civil servants.

“We discuss Places for Growth, but that doesn’t relate to what they’re doing with pay, that doesn’t relate to what they are doing with civil service numbers, but all of those things will have an interaction with each other,” she continued.

Leversidge demonstrated this with the government’s previous plans to cut 91,000 jobs. She said this meant the government had “already lost one of the levers you can pull”, as it limited the amount of new posts outside of London that were being advertised.

The FDA supports the plan to move 20,000 civil service jobs out of London under the Places for Growth programme, but Leversidge told PACAC that progress has stalled. Quoting the union’s survey of senior civil servants, Leversidge informed Committee Chair William Wragg MP that only 14.1% of SCS members said that they were “highly engaged” with proposals to move jobs out of London, and only 3.6% have relocated in the past year.

The Assistant General Secretary also told the Committee that for strategies like Places for Growth to work “ministers do need to be meaningfully working” outside of London as “the centre of gravity for every department is the minister, so if the minister is not based outside of London… the SCS posts will be drawn back”.

Again highlighting the dysfunctionality of government strategies for the civil service, Leversidge argued that you cannot “divorce” the reluctance of senior civil servants to work away from ministers “from ministerial attitudes that we’ve seen around hybrid working”. Leversidge said this had given “the impression that if you’re not directly seen by a minister then you’re not getting on with your job”, disincentivising relocation.

“The constant drumbeat we’ve had since 2016 of attacking civil servants”, continued Leversidge, alongside 10 years of falling real-terms wages, the plan to cut 91,000 jobs, and issues if ministerial behaviour “is having an incredibly damaging impact on morale and motivation”. As a result, the biggest concern is not that civil servants aren’t moving out of London, but they are “looking to leave the civil service”, as they can receive considerably better pay elsewhere.

Leversidge also discussed the momentous decision of FDA Fast Stream members to vote to take strike action. She warned that “chronic and longstanding issues with the pay structure” have actually left many Fast Stream members “terrified” of being placed in London due to the cost of housing, with many looking to leave the scheme altogether.

You can watch parts of Leversidge's appearance on the FDA Twitter page.

Channel website: https://www.fda.org.uk/

Original article link: https://www.fda.org.uk/home/Newsandmedia/News/FDA-tells-MPs-Little-progress-made-in-creating-SCS-opportunities-outside-London.aspx

Share this article

Latest News from
FDA

Funding the Nation: Optimising HMRC – FDA hosts leading tax experts to discuss new report

21/03/2024 13:10:00

The FDA was pleased to host a panel of the UK’s leading tax experts to discuss the findings of our landmark report, which suggests targeted investment in HMRC could deliver an additional £11.3bn for the treasury.

Penman calls on government to resolve conflict between civil servants' legal obligations and ministerial instructions

15/03/2024 16:20:00

As reported in the Guardian, the FDA has written to Home Secretary James Cleverly and Minister for the Cabinet Office John Glen to raise concerns that the government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill places civil servants in a conflict between their professional and legal obligations and instructions from elected ministers.

FDA calls on Senedd to implement “fully independent process for dealing with complaints of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment”

09/02/2024 14:10:00

FDA Cymru|Wales has called on the Senedd to “implement a fully independent process for dealing with complaints of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment” made against MSs.

Announcement on risk-based exclusion in Parliament a "significant victory", says FDA

14/12/2023 15:15:00

The House of Commons Commission have released updated proposals on a risk-based exclusion policy.

Gender pay gap shows women are among those bearing the brunt of a broken civil service pay system, says FDA

01/12/2023 16:25:00

A number of civil service departments have released their annual gender pay gap reports for 2023, all of which show a clear gap between the earnings of men and women.

The state of pay in the civil service

24/11/2023 13:10:00

The FDA’s new report, ‘The state of pay in the civil service’, paints a stark picture, with unambiguous testimony from civil servants detailing widespread dissatisfaction with the pay system, which is having a devasting impact on morale.

FDA achieves major breakthrough on Fast Stream pay

17/08/2023 16:05:00

Following a long period of negotiations after the union’s successful ballot for industrial action earlier this year, the FDA has reached an agreement with the Cabinet Office on a significant new pay offer for the civil service Fast Stream.

“Ministers decide the shape and remit of the civil service”

11/08/2023 15:10:00

The FDA has responded to a report from the Taxpayers’ Alliance that highlights the growth in the civil service headcount since 2016. FDA Assistant General Secretary Lucille Thirlby told GB News that “the case that the civil service is growing exponentially beyond any means, and by its own volition, is a complete nonsense. Ministers decide the shape and remit of the civil service”.

Watch out for signs of loan fee fraud as summer spending fuels financial pressure

09/08/2023 15:05:00

With summer in full swing, the FCA launches its latest campaign to help consumers spot and avoid loan fee fraud.

WIREDGOV