Latest news with #localeconomies
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Vibrant Chinese dining culture suffers from heavy-handed austerity control: state media
China's ongoing austerity campaign has been taken too far at some local levels, People's Daily has warned, a month after Beijing launched its latest belt-tightening push. Advertisement In a commentary published on its website on Tuesday night, the party mouthpiece said that while curbing corruption and extravagance was necessary for the austerity campaign, it should not come at the expense of a citizen's daily life or local economies. 'When implementing, some localities have 'layered on restrictions' – equating 'prohibiting illegal dining and drinking' simply with 'banning all eating and drinking',' the commentary said, referring to a common situation in China in which higher authorities impose additional or even stricter requirements at every level, leading to excessive or overzealous implementation. 02:55 US beef off the menu as trade war hits Beijing's American-style restaurants US beef off the menu as trade war hits Beijing's American-style restaurants 'This behaviour is also a form of lazy governance and a variant of formalism, causing businesses to lose customers and dimming the vibrancy of people's everyday lives,' it said. Beijing launched an austerity push in March in an effort to improve the ruling party's image, combat corruption and cut wasteful spending. It urged officials to 'get used to belt-tightening' and show 'strict diligence and thrift'. New measures announced last month included 20 major changes related to official work meals, the use of government cars, inspection tours and other spending. For instance, expensive dishes, cigarettes and alcohol are banned at work meals, and extravagant decorations for official reception venues are prohibited. Advertisement In recent weeks Beijing has sent eight central guidance teams to reinforce the message during inspection tours around the country. The graft-busting Central Commission for Discipline Inspection began releasing details of occasions of excessive drinking by officials – including some who died from consuming too much alcohol – as a warning.
The Independent
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Whitehall departments to be told to move more civil servants out of London or get less cash
Whitehall departments are at risk of failing to get part of their funding in Rachel Reeves's spending unless they decant hundreds of civil servants to other parts of the UK. A major government shake up will require more civil service jobs to be based in 12 locations outside London, delivering and developing government policy closer to the communities it affects. The move is expected to provide a £729m boost for local economies across UK in shake up to bring government closer to communities. The 12 growth areas are: Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Darlington, Newcastle and Tyneside, Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast and York. As part of the spending review, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will write to all departments requiring them to relocate key roles and strengthen the government's presence in 12 locations by 2030. A government source has confirmed that success in the project by departments 'will be factored into' their spending review settlement. The source added: 'We expect all London based Departments to set out ambitious commitments to relocate roles out of London as part of their spending review plans.' To avoid name plate only efforts, there will be an expectation of 60 per cent working from offices as a minimum. The plan reflects the movement of part of the Treasury to a new campus in Teesside in the north east of England. The prime minister is understood to be keen to go further to enhance the impact of government in places across the country, so that the civil service has an active presence in communities across the UK and contributes to local growth and job creation. The plans will see more roles working closer to frontline services, facilitating greater understanding of the real issues facing local services and people, and how central government policy can support them. Central government can't solve the issues facing local communities from Whitehall alone. Building real, sustainable links to the communities they serve, the changes ensure civil servants will work with the local community, service providers and local government to develop policy.
