Let's Get More For Less - Getting a grip of the budget deficit

Being a Member of Parliament is a very diverse job. Within days of being elected my surgery timetable was full, and I have already seen many dozens of constituents with problems that they need my help with, and dealt with many hundreds more by letter and email.

But in addition to dealing with constituency issues here in North Warwickshire & Bedworth, being a Member of Parliament means getting to grips with the national problems our country faces. And the most urgent and unavoidable issue facing Britain today is tackling the deficit.

Many people may not realise just how huge a problem we inherited. Last year Britain had the largest deficit in peacetime history, and the highest in the G7 and the G20. We are borrowing one pound in every four pounds spent. That is the equivalent of a family earning £1,500 a month but spending £2,000 a month, and doing nothing about it. Anyone who has ever been in debt can tell you how quickly that sort of thinking can lead to disaster.

The last Government lost control of the nation’s finances. Part of my job as an MP is helping to get a grip on them again. Otherwise by 2015 we were projected to be spending £67 billion on interest payments alone. That’s money that could otherwise be spent on schools, hospitals and policing.

One thing that has struck me over the past few months is how many people who work in the public sector agree that we need to control spending. Yes I have spoken to people who are concerned that any budget cuts need to be handled carefully, but I have also spoken to local teachers, police officers and NHS workers who can see waste all around them, every day, at work.

Last week I met a nurse who is horrified at the number of NHS managers who not only cost money, but some of whom she feels actually get in the way of her doing what is right for her patients.

Only this weekend I spoke at length to a local policeman who wants me to introduce him to the Police Minister, because he said he can see dozens of ways to save money while actually improving the service he and his colleagues provide to local people.

And that is the key to getting to grips with the appalling debts the country has been allowed to build up. It is harnessing the ideas and the experience of ordinary people up and down the country. That’s why I am appealing to local people to log on and put forward your ideas on how and where the country can save money. After all, it’s all of our taxes that will go up if we can’t get a grip on Government spending.

George Osborne has set up a website for people to log on and submit ideas directly: http://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk/

At the end of August the best ideas for saving money and improving services will go to the Chancellor, and will be rolled out as part of the comprehensive spending review. So far, over 60,000 people have contributed their ideas.

Alternatively you can email your ideas to me directly (dan.byles.mp@parliament.uk), and I will make sure that they are passed on to the Chancellor. I really hope you take the time to put forward your ideas. It’s so important we get this right.