Description (short summary):
The action plan ‘Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government’ sets out how the British Government will improve public service outcomes, while achieving the fiscal consolidation that is vital to helping the economy grow.

This action plan has three central actions:

• to drive up standards by strengthening the role of citizens and civic society;
• to free up public services by recasting the relationship between the centre and the frontline, and;
• to streamline the centre of government, saving money for sharper delivery.

Much of the work outlined in this document applies across the UK, in those policy areas where government responsibilities extend across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However, many other aspects of policy highlighted in the document, including frontline services such as delivery of healthcare and education, and local government, are devolved, in differing settlements, to the administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is the benefit of devolution that the Devolved Administrations can tailor their policies and thus deliver public services to meet the specific needs of their citizens.

The Government and the Devolved Administrations will continue to work closely together to build a more prosperous, stronger, fairer UK, while recognising their particular and varying responsibilities. Equality is a fundamental principle of fair and effective government. The actions and policies set out in ‘Putting the frontline' first aim to be consistent with the requirements of current and future public sector equality duties.

Number of pages: 70

Related news article: UK: Action plan to improve frontline services by making government 'smarter'