Labour warns of deterioration in public services

The public will inevitably notice deteriorating public services because of the Government's job cuts, the Labour Party says.

"What we are getting are indiscriminate cuts for political reasons," Labour's state services spokesman Grant Robertson said last night after the Government announced 130 jobs were being axed in the Ministry of Health and there would be more to come in the state sector.

Figures were released showing nearly 1500 jobs had gone across the core state sector since National came to power.

State Services Minister Tony Ryall said the Labour government let bureaucracy run out of control and during its nine years in office the public service grew by 50 percent.

"As many government departments adjust to no, or little, extra funding over the next few years we would expect to see further reductions in these staffing numbers," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said the reduction in civil servants showed the Government was sticking to its plan of maintaining spending during the recession and then "bringing the lid down".

Mr Ryall says resources are being moved from back offices to the frontline, and he expects improved services.

But Mr Robertson said the reality was that the Government was cutting back public services.

"National can't even provide a definition of what 'frontline' is," he said.

"We have seen cuts to biosecurity staff at the border, CYFS staff, school library services and regional fisheries offices. These are all frontline services that people across New Zealand rely on."

Mr Robertson said the Government was taking an accountants approach to public services, rather than working with public servants and taxpayers to develop those services.

"National's promise to cap, not cut, public sector jobs and move resources from the back room to the frontline has again been outed as pure political spin."