Public-sector productivity statistics are misleading

Rob Briner was spot on about Knox D’Arcy grabbing headlines with its report into local government inefficiency (HR column, 30 September). This was right-wing political spin based on poor-quality research. The fact that this was compounded by lazy reporting in the national media only seemed to make matters worse. Joe Public will only remember the headline that “two-thirds” of local authority workers’ time is wasted. We are being prepared for ruthless cuts and outsourcing to the private sector.