Chloe launches call for public spending ideas

Following the new Chancellor's Budget statement, Chloe Smith MP today launched a call to the Norwich public for their ideas about how to save money and improve public services.

Chloe Smith says: "Tackling the deficit is the most urgent and unavoidable issue facing Britain today. I receive hundreds of ideas every month anyway about how to save money or do things better, and I want to invite anyone that I represent to come forward with more.

"Last year Britain had the largest deficit in peacetime history, and the highest in the G7 and G20. As most people know this requires significant reductions in public spending. Ministers have committed to carrying out these reductions while protecting the quality of key frontline services. That means they need to think innovatively about the role of the government in society and reform the public sector to get more for less."

The government has already launched a public engagement process called "the Spending Challenge", aimed at encouraging the public to understand the choices faced by the government and to tell the Chancellor what they think the government's priorities should be.

In just two weeks, more than 60,000 of those working in the public sector have already responded with proposals to the Spending Challenge. Today, Chloe is inviting people in Norwich to be involved directly.

By 31st August, people should either:

• Go to the Spending Challenge website, or
• Contact Chloe by email, post or phone

At the end of August, Chloe will send the best ideas to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The top ideas for saving money and improving services will then be rolled out as part of the comprehensive spending review in the autumn.