News

Nick Clegg launches the 'Spending Challenge'

Thu, 24 Jun 2010

“We want you to help us find those savings, so we can cut public spending in a way that is fair and responsible,” the Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats said.

Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister has today written to every public sector worker in the country, asking them to help with the Spending Review set out in this week’s Budget.

The Chancellor announced a 25 per cent cut in spending for unprotected departments over four years. Now, as part of the Spending Review, the Government is launching a ‘Spending Challenge’ aimed at engaging the whole country in rethinking public services in order to deliver more for less.

The first phase of the Challenge aims to harness the experience and insight of those at the front line, including NHS workers, police officers and civil servants, who will be asked to look at three areas:

Government-funded activities that they believe are non-essential and should not continue.
How the Government can better target activities or provide them more effectively.
Activities that can be provided completely differently to save money, including by providers other than Government

A website has been set up at where the country’s six million public sector workers can submit their answers to the question, “How do we rethink services to deliver more for less?”

Take part: Here

In their letter, The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister say: “We want you to help us find those savings, so we can cut public spending in a way that is fair and responsible. You work on the frontline of public services. You know where things are working well, where the waste is, and where we can re-think things so that we get better services for less money.”