Royal family told to make cuts and boost income

The Queen’s royal household could be doing more to reduce its costs and increase income, and needs to get a firmer grip on a backlog of property repairs, a Commons committee has said.

The monarchy is funded via the Sovereign Grant, the management of which is under scrutiny. Picture: Getty

The household also needs to plan and manage its budget better for the long term, a report by the public accounts committee (PAC) recommended.

Margaret Hodge, the PAC’s chairwoman, also criticised the Treasury for failing to be more actively involved in reviewing the household’s financial planning and management.

Ms Hodge said: “There is scope for the household to generate more income and reduce its costs further.”

She went on to praise it for increasing its income during the last financial year, but added: “However, we think it could do more. Since 2007-8, the household has cut its net costs by 16 per cent in real terms, but 11 per cent of that was achieved by increasing income, and just 5 per cent by reducing expenditure.

“With better commercial expertise in place, we think there is room to do more with less, reducing costs further and supporting the Queen’s programme more effectively.”

The report produced by the PAC looked at the Sovereign Grant, the financial system funding the monarchy, and last October its MPs questioned Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, about the financial affairs of the household.

The document stated that the household’s staffing levels had remained largely static at just over 430 people, during the past seven years, to allow it to maintain the Queen’s programme.

However, this contrasted with the public sector, which had seen employee numbers cut during the same period, and yet the sector was still expected to increase its efficiency with fewer workers.

Ms Hodge also highlighted the large amount of work needed to maintain “nationally important heritage properties”.

The report gave the example of the Victoria and Albert Mausoleum at Frogmore, a monument of national importance, which has been waiting 18 years for repair work.

The document said when assessed in 2012, 39 per cent of the royal estate’s buildings were below what the household thought was an acceptable condition – and the current position is likely to be worse.

Ms Hodge said: “The household must get a much firmer grip on how it plans to address its maintenance backlog.

“It has not even costed the repair works needed to bring the estate back to an acceptable condition, and the Treasury did not require an estimate. Again, the Treasury has an oversight role here.”

The PAC report stated that the royal household intends to allocate between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of the increase in Sovereign Grant funding in 2013-14, and in future years, to addressing the maintenance backlog, and was “belatedly” developing a ten-year maintenance plan.

Ms Hodge added: “We feel that the Queen has not been served well by the household and by the Treasury, which is responsible for effective scrutiny of the household’s financial planning and management.

“We believe that the Treasury has a duty to be actively involved in reviewing the household’s financial planning and management – and it has failed to do so.”

Commenting on the ability of the Queen’s staff to plan for the future, she said: “The household needs to get better at planning and managing its budgets for the longer term – and the Treasury should be more actively involved in reviewing what the household is doing.”