31 October 2008
By Paul Dicken
Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears has said Whitehall staff are now committed to her department's communities plans, despite being 'incredibly sceptical' of policy changes.
Facing questions from the Commons communities and local government select committee on the department's annual report, Blears rejected claims that the DCLG was unable to deliver its 'vision'.
She said: 'In the past it was said that CLG wasn't able to influence its partners in delivering the vision of sustainable communities — of places where people wanted to live, work and invest in and bring up their families. We now have achieved it through something people were incredibly sceptical of — that we would be able to get every single government department lined up agreeing targets, inspection regimes and resources.'
During the October 27 hearing, Blears also that said the department's efficiency drive, which involved cuts of more than 900 staff since 2004, had been delivered through smarter ways of working and prioritising.
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