Britain plans to cut 80,000 civil service jobs

Britain is contemplating cutting 80,000 civil service jobs as part of the reform of the official machinery and save an estimated £ 15 billion for utilising for improving health and education, a media report said on Tuesday.

A leaked report by Sir Peter Gershon, head of the government's efficiency review, outlined plans to transform the civil service into a small, streamlined administrative core which delegates most of its powers to super agencies at regional or national level.

The "generalist" civil servant, long considered a strength of the system, would be increasingly replaced by highly-skilled specialists, The Times,

reported.

Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to make the  announcement at a major speech on the future of the civil service next week, the report said.
 
The proposal seemed to have the support of the opposition Tories. Both sides believe that they can pour more money into health and education by streamlining the service and ending its job-for-life culture.

According to the report, the future of Britain's 516,000 civil servants will form a key election battleground after the leaked report disclosed plans to overthrow the powerful fiefdoms within the government.