The Labour Party today released its 2010 election manifesto – reiterating its commitment to maintain key frontline services by making savings in back office functions.

The party repeated its pledge to limit public sector pay increases to one per cent over the next two years, to save £3.4bn a year.

As previously announced, there will also be caps on senior pay and public sector pensions.

The manifesto said: “We recognise that investing more in priority areas will mean cutting back in others.”

Specifically, spending on the Sure Start early learning programme will be funded by £950m of back office and procurement cuts. Another £500m will be found from quangos and central budgets.

The manifesto, drawn together by Ed Miliband, promised that local government would be given more freedoms from ring-fenced budgets, central targets and indicators.

Powers over transport, skills and economic development would be devolved to more of the UK’s major city regions, it said.

In health, the manifesto pledged to extend the right for NHS staff, particularly nurses, to request to run their own services in the not-for-profit sector.

The party would increase the membership of Foundation Trusts to more than three million by the end of the next Parliament, with all hospitals becoming Foundation Trusts.

However, Labour said it would end top-down changes to the structure of Primary Care Trusts or Strategic Health Authorities for the duration of the next Parliament.

The manifesto also committed Labour to ensuring that senior management teams of police forces could be replaced where they “consistently fail” local people.

The manifesto also said a future Labour government would legislate for fixed-term parliaments and create an all-party commission to chart a course to a written constitution.

All non-personal data held by government and its agencies would be made more easily accessible to the public, and new incentives would be introduced for users to switch to online services.

Tackling immigration, Labour promised to ensure that all public employees having contact with the public possess an appropriate level of English language competence.