Civil servants

A quarter of senior civil servants have left their posts since the coalition government came to power.

Figures obtained from a series of parliamentary questions tabled by Gareth Thomas MP, the shadow cabinet office minister, show that 1,009 out of 3,700 senior civil servants — 27% of the total number — have left since May 2010. In the Department for Communities and Local Government, 43% of top civil servants have left.

Unions say the blame lies with the cuts being pushed through by the coalition.