Parliament Cuts Back Catering in ‘Cost-Cutting’ Drive – Guido Fawkes

Dear colleagues,

Many of you will be aware of the wider saving and efficiency challenges across the public sector. You will realise that, although we are not part of the Civil Service, we are not immune to external pressures on public spending. In response to these challenges, the House of Commons Commission has asked the Commons Executive Board to set up a savings and improvement programme.

The programme will be run by a steering group comprised of Marianne Cwynarski, Director General of the House of Commons, Vicky Rock, Managing Director of Finance, Portfolio and Performance, and Ed Beale, Head of the Governance Office, and Secretary to the Commission.

We have agreed to work together to identify at least 10% of savings over the next three years, 5% of which will be reinvested into other organisational priorities. We will set out how we intend to achieve this in our 2026/27 budget. We will also look for savings that can be achieved this year. This is a real opportunity for us to build on what we do and change it for the better. We will review our House Strategy at the same time to ensure that we are focused on delivering the right priorities.

As a first step, we have committed to no increase in overall headcount this year and teams will be asked to develop ideas for savings in line with our priorities. We know that many of you have good ideas for improving services and making them more efficient and we will make sure that these are considered as part of the programme.

Finding efficiencies and improving how we work is not a new challenge for the House Administration. The Morse Review identified the need for us to ensure we deliver excellent services whilst achieving good value. We have made positive progress on implementing the Morse recommendations, but we know we have more to do.

You will have the opportunity to work within your teams with your managers to share your ideas of how we can meet this challenge together, and we will keep you regularly updated on progress.

Thank you,

Commons Executive Board

To continue to provide a viable catering service, we must ensure we are providing a cost-effective service.

Following a detailed review of catering services, and consideration by the House of Commons Commission, we are therefore changing some of the services that we currently offer, particularly those venues which currently operate at a significant loss or with lower customer footfall. These changes are part of the Savings and Improvement Programme announced this week and are set out below.

The Table, 64 Victoria Street

After Whitsun recess until the summer recess, The Table in 64 Victoria Street will open from 8am to 3pm Monday – Friday. The Table will serve hot and cold ‘grab and go’ food with barista coffee. When summer recess starts, further decisions will then be taken on whether to close The Table venue entirely.

Cafe 14, 14 Tothill Street

After Whitsun recess, Cafe 14 in 14 Tothill Street will open from 8am to 3pm, and will offer a beverage operation, with a range of hot and cold ‘grab and go’ items.

Weekend openings

The Terrace Cafeteria will close on weekends with last service on the 28 June (currently open on Saturdays).
The Despatch Box will close on weekends with last service on the 29 June (currently open on Sundays).
As well as vending hubs continuing to be available in Richmond House, Moncrieff’s and Portcullis House, cafeteria prices will be available in the Jubilee Cafe on Saturdays for staff working on the estate.

Confirmed details of the menus in these venues will be published on ParliNet following the Whitsun recess.

We recognise that these changes may affect your usual routines. However, a wide range of catering options will continue to be available across the estate, and we remain committed to providing high-quality catering services.

These decisions were not made lightly. They are essential to ensuring that our catering services remain aligned with current demand, especially in the context of financial pressures.

We thank you for your understanding as we implement these changes to ensure the long-term sustainability of our catering services.