Report recommends Government scraps COI
A report has recommended that The Government replaced the Central Office of Information with a new unit, which will be made up of marketers from the department.
The report by Matt Tee, who is set to leave his post as permanent secretary for Government communications, recommends that the COI is scrapped in order to save around £50 million a year, as a result of the loss of 1,000 jobs.
Tee has also put forward the recommendation of using a payment by results model for framework agencies, similar to that used by the Ad Council in the US.
"I also conclude that government direct communication will be more effective if a more strategic approach is taken where activity is concentrated in fewer areas of focus and target audiences for campaigns are clearly identified, so that government is not unwittingly aiming multiple messages at the same audiences," said Tee within the report.
The organisation is already facing a loss of 40 percent of its staff from 737 to 450 as part of cost savings being implemented by the UK Government.
The report reveals that the total cost of Government communications in 2009/10 was £1.01 billion, of which £540 million was spent on direct communication activity through the COI and £329 million estimated as staffing costs.
Cabinet minister France Maude has said he will discuss Tee’s proposals with colleagues and will publish a response ‘in due course’.