Government sets out £285m marketing budget

This is up from the reported spend through the Central Office of Information in 2010/11 last year, which was £168 million.

However, the figure is significantly down on the £532 million spent through the COI in 2009/10 under the previous Labour government.

The COI was scrapped and replaced by the new hub structure in March.

All Government marketing and communications activity will be managed through these hubs, while the Government Procurement Service will operate supplier frameworks.

A Communication Delivery Board has been set up, which will act as the ultimate co-ordinating and decision-making authority for Government communication, and will approve the work of the hubs.

The GPS last month launched a tender process for its first framework – covering advertising and marketing services.

The Cabinet Office says, ‘The new procurement arrangements that the GPS are establishing will be an important step towards a more flexible approach to communications, alongside careful stewardship and intelligent scrutiny of the larger contracts for advertising and paid media contracts.’

The Cabinet Office confirmed that a freeze on all non-essential marketing spend, introduced in 2010, is still active, and that Cabined Office approval was required for all marketing spend over £100 000.

The Government says it is also rolling out its new system of consistent branding for all Government departments.

The colour-coded system is based on the existing Royal Crest logo, and sees all departments given their own colours.

The Home Office, for example, will use purple, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport pink, and the Cabinet Office blue.

The Government says this system was developed in-house at no cost, and will roll out to all departments and appropriate bodies by the end of the year.