The government has delivered just £4.27 million of savings through the first year of its Efficiencies and Change Programme.
The Programme, launched in late 2024 with a five‑year ambition of £50m in savings, has so far identified £15.8m in potential benefits, with £8.3m formally approved.
The Programme fell short of its £10m first‑year savings target, delivering £4.27 million in realised efficiencies, around 40% of the goal set by the Chief Minister.
Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said the Programme was designed to help government “live within its means” as rising costs and service demand put pressure on public finances. The £4m realised this year equates to over £10m in recurring savings across the five‑year period.
Savings Delivered
Savings have been delivered across several workstreams. Digital projects, including new online services, modernised payments and the rollout of Microsoft Copilot, contributed more than £186,000 in realised benefits.
Contract savings across multiple departments totalled £2.09m, while the sale of surplus government properties delivered £710,000 in cashable savings.
The People workstream, which introduced tighter recruitment controls and workforce planning, delivered £1.19m in savings by delaying or avoiding recruitment where appropriate. A further £62,750 was realised through service redesign within the Department of Infrastructure.
Alongside the central programme, Manx Care delivered £9.9m in its own mandated cost‑improvement savings, though a £4.8m gap remains against the £14.6m required to meet its full budget need.
The report notes that the Programme is still in its early stages, with a shift planned toward embedding responsibility within departments as the next administration takes office.
The full report can be found here.
