Lean and efficient Government

Government is spending more than it raises and funding the gap from reserves. The private sector has many vacancies for competent staff and yet Government headcount has continued to grow. Much of that headcount increase is from Manx Care, but an assessment of Government cross-department duplication in roles is required.

Cutting spending without cutting the frontline

Savings should not come from the frontline services we rely upon. They should come from the back off: administration, marketing, finance, procurement. These are the functions most likely to be duplicated across departments and where AI can take on routine administrative work. The risk is that we move too slowly and costs keep rising while the efficiencies never arrive. I want Government headcount to come down, and significantly. Where technology changes a role, I would expect Government to fund retraining and redeployment first, and to be straight with staff early rather than late. The private sector is crying out for people and there are jobs waiting.

Accounting for civil service time

Staff time is one of Government's largest costs, and it is not free. I believe that every civil servant working on a project or initiative should record their time, especially so on projects defended as "costing Government nothing". If we cannot say what something costs, we cannot judge whether it is worth it. Less spin, more data, more transparency.

Opening the books further

Government already publishes accounts, but timed to Tynwald sittings and in PDFs very few residents ever read. Spending should include the cost of internal projects and initiatives, and how headcount is changing over time. In June 2026, Tynwald backed 24 of 26 reforms to open up the budget process: publication 6 weeks before the debate, the ability for members to amend it, an autumm financial statement, and Tynwald approval for borrowing above £5 million. The Council of Ministers tried to defer almost all of it and was voted down. The one recommendation that failed to pass was the one I would have also supported: publishing the business cases behind spending decisions. i would bring that back to ensure financial transparency.