In May 2025 the House of Commons Commission agreed a savings and improvement programme. This has a target to achieve at least 10% of cumulative savings and efficiencies on by 2028/29, with 5% to be reinvested and at least 5% to reduce the budget in real terms. The resource budget of the Administration in 2025/26 was around £395 million. Since May 2025 teams have been developing proposals for savings in each of their areas and the Commons Executive Board expects to agree a policy position and recommended savings targets to recommend to the Finance Committee and House of Commons Commission in November 2025.
On 12 September 2025 the Committee published a press release highlighting the publication of its paper from April 2025 that showed FTE headcount of the Administration had increased by over 90% since 2014/15. The press release said that:
…the Committee intends to launch an inquiry into the opportunities for saving next month. To that end, the Committee expects to undertake public sessions later this year likely to cover issues such as the reasons for the headcount rise, and the scope to reduce costs, in line with wider efforts to reduce civil service numbers.
This Inquiry aims to help the Committee understand whether the current level of ambition of the savings and improvement programme being undertaken by the House of Commons Administration is sufficient and increase transparency of the process and budget. It will also consider the reasons for the increase in the Administration’s headcount over the last 10 years and the opportunities for savings, including through the changing nature of work and skills, the use of technology and in lessons from elsewhere.
A public evidence session is planned with Administration officials on 25 November, and a further evidence session offering an external viewpoint is expected on 2 December.
Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry.