As many as one in two of the staff at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)will be made redundant under plans submitted by the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.
Hunt has proposed cuts of between 35 per cent and 50 per cent of all staff in plans submitted to the Treasury.
He also suggests moving from the departmental headquarters off Trafalgar Square, with the remaining staff finding space in an existing departmental building.
Reportedly, Hunt believes that leading by example will help him to win support for forthcoming deep cuts to arts and media budgets.
The Treasury has asked all departments to offer cuts of between 25 and 40 per cent of their total budgets. Some have not met the deadline, or are refusing to produce 40 per cent cuts.
The DCMS has one of the smallest Whitehall budgets, of £2.1bn, and one of the smallest workforces, accounting for just 590 of the 468,700 civil servants that the government employs.
Arts, media and heritage are likely to face the most substantial funding cuts. The department has already asked the biggest arts organisations to produce their own proposals for saving 25 – 30 per cent over four years.
Content from our partners
Related
