Think-tank Reform recommends at least one million public sector job cuts

Think-tank Reform has recommended that at least one million public sector jobs be cut.

According to the centre-right group, the public sector needs to cut employment costs by 15%, and to save up to £27bn a year. The group also said that the NHS and the police service in particular should be targeted, having in the past enjoyed big increases in staffing.

Reform recommended that front-line posts be cut, as these make up the majority of public sector jobs, reports the BBC.

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Andrew Haldenby, Reform’s director, said: “The public sector workforce has to shrink to become as productive as the private sector. This must be an essential part of the plan to reduce the deficit that Alastair Darling should announce in his Pre-Budget Report.”

But Unison, the public sector union, disagreed. Spokeswoman Mary Maguire said: “Reform needs to go back to the drawing board and find a way to get the bankers, financial institutions and tax avoiders to pay their fair share of taxation.”