Mark Serwotka: Civil service reforms 'a crying shame'

The head of the Public and Commercial Services Union, Mark Serwotka, has criticised government plans for reform to the civil service, saying the number of civil servants should be increased, not cut.

The proposals have been outlined to MPs in the House of Commons by Cabinet Secretary Francis Maude, who said the civil service has to be ''faster, more flexible, more innovative and more accountable''.

Mark Serwotka said the government's plans for the civil service were ''a crying shame''.