Public sector contracts are now a central part of the economy, according to business leaders. The CBI said new research by Oxford Economics confirmed that supplying the public sector was no longer a ‘Cinderella industry'. The study revealed the burgeoning relationship between private firms and the public sector was now adding £25bn to the UK economy. Almost half of contracts, unsurprisingly, were with the NHS, but 12.3% of supply was to education, and waste management now accounted for 4.7%. According to Oxford Economics, public sector supply was now a bigger sector of the economy than pharmaceuticals, the automotive industry or aerospace. With the credit crunch and the US economy slowing, the importance of the public sector to the economy was set to become even more important. Dr Neil Bentley, the CBI's public services director said: ‘We're at the heart of public service delivery and ministers should bang the drum about that.' Business secretary, John Hutton, signalled he wanted to see public sector provision become ‘an indelible part of public service reform'. He said: ‘The public service industry could be just as critical to UK plc as our creative industries or low carbon economy.'