The Central Office for Information or COI had performed a vital role since 1946 in creating important public messages as diverse as drink-driving, AIDS and smoking. The bottom line of their balance sheet over the years has been thousands of lives saved and countless families' prospects improved and strengthened.
They were effectively the Government's advertising agency. To the new coalition, advertising and marketing is deemed a luxury and so with a crassness which rivals the dumping of the highly successful National Film Council, they have just abolished the COI.
The decision was taken by Francis 'Crocodile' Maude who deems such work "unnecessary". Andrew Lansley said the same prior to an outbreak of bird flu and felt compelled, against his political instincts, to reverse his decision when presented with the simplest of cost/benefit analysis.
Not so Maude. He commissioned a report from senior civil servant Mark Tee who recommended reform, restructuring, and re-naming. Maude abolished instead.
The decision prompted a nostalgic look at old campaigns starring Jimmy Saville, Charley the Cat and Alvin Stardust. But little backlash at the idiocy of it all.
The Govt is all about savings and has centralised Departments' HR and finance functions to save many millions. The disbanding of COI is the reverse and functions will be devolved to individual Departments so losing all economies of scale, together with strategic advantages and a huge skill base.
There is no information on timing or terms for the civil servants affected just a terse press release which fails to acknowledge any of the successes of COI which have been considerable.
COI was like an 'invisible' Department because it did its job so well. The public don't realise what an impact it made on their lives, But for many it saved them.
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