Outsourcing Whitehall functions to the private sector is a top priority for any new government, according to a poll from provider of interim management solutions Interim Partners.

The poll of  1,475 interim executives recommends that the top priority for the next government should be:

• Outsource more Whitehall functions to the private sector (29.7%)
• cut headcount by increasing investment in IT (21%)
• introduce more or tougher targets (20.6%)

Doug Baird, managing director of Interim Partners, says: “However deeply the next government decides to cut public sector spending, savings need to be balanced against service quality.

“A lot of interims have spent the credit crunch implementing belt-tightening measures for businesses so they are definitely a constituency worth listening to.

“From their hands on experience of implementing cost saving programmes across thousands of public and private sector organisations, interims say that the best way of balancing savings against service is through outsourcing.”