Boris Johnson declares war on Whitehall 'waste' vowing to give taxpayers value for money[1]
The Prime Minister tasked his entire Cabinet to "root out waste" in their departments so the Government can focus on the priorities set out in the Tories' general election manifesto.
Every so-called "legacy project" – those started under a previous government - will be rated on whether they fit with the new administration's priorities and the latest Tory manifesto which propelled Mr Johnson to an 80-seat majority at the election last month.
Tories believe that they must take long-term policy decisions now in order to guarantee future economic and political success.
"In Cabinet Boris Johnson told ministers they should be prepared to 'slaughter' projects previously seen as 'holy cows' if they do not align with the Government's priorities."
"He said that some officials will be like 'tigers defending their cubs' and resist change."
"There are hundreds of legacy projects that have been rumbling along around Whitehall and this is a chance to look at them and some will be axed."
"There will be squeals of protest but every project must be worked through."
Boris Johnson orders ministers to root out the waste in Whitehall and 'spare no sacred cows'[2]
Boris Johnson has ordered his ministers to locate wasteful projects across Whitehall, even if it means "slaughtering sacred cows".
The Prime Minister told his Cabinet to review hundreds of legacy projects in their departments, and to go through their spending line by line.
He warned that some officials would "squeal" and respond like tigers defending their cubs to proposed changes, which aim to "root out the waste" across government.
A government source said Downing Street expected "squeals of protest" as "many, many, many legacy projects rumbling along in Whitehall" faced the axe.
Mr Javid said he will use his first budget to support “left-behind” parts of the country and deliver an “infrastructure revolution”.
“The country voted for change. There are still too many people in our great country that feel left behind and we are going to deliver that change."
“With this budget we will unleash Britain’s potential — uniting our great country, opening a new chapter for our economy and ushering in a decade of renewal.”
However, he also pledged to make sure day-to-day government spending does not exceed what it earns. Launching his fiscal rules in November the Chancellor said: “What we spend cannot exceed what we bring in.”
Mr Javid’s spokesman said ministers will need to “make hard choices for the long run” and “look five to 10 years” ahead.
Ministers must justify all public spending projects as Sajid Javid battles to save money[3]
The Government has launched a 'zero-based' project to review all aspects of public spending
Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid told a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that ministers must "root out waste" in their departments - despite fearing "squeals of protest" from Whitehall civil servants.
The savings drive is expected to investigate hundreds of projects… and decide whether or not they provide good value for money. It will be "zero-based", meaning that it will start with the assumption that each item should be scrapped unless there is specific justification otherwise.
"It's a chance to look at spending across the board. No one's pretending that every single pound in every department is being spent well."
'Money down drain'
Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock… have made a series of ambitious promises to drag the NHS out of various crises
Mr Javid will deliver his first Budget as Chancellor
Zero-based[4] is the right approach to take a fresh look. This becomes particularly important re serious concerns of institutional corruption. Politicians fail when they are supported by bureaucrats with their own axe to grind.
This government is rightly challenging the vested Civil Service hierarchy too deeply embedded in a culture of shady backdoor business deals & suppliers. Corporate lobbies and revolving doors seem more much more important to them than the citizens they serve.
Zero-based Budgeting[4]
Organisations must first figure out which services are truly essential for running their core business. They must then streamline the essential services and get rid of the rest.
The new PM is leading by example from the front. This needs to be taken down all the way to the local Councils. Council Tax is getting way out of hand.
[1] http://express.co.uk/news/politics/1225335/boris-johnson-taxpayers-money-whitehall-waste-hs2
[2] http://telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/07/boris-johnson-orders-ministers-root-waste-whitehall-spare-no
[3] http://inews.co.uk/news/politics/ministers-public-spending-projects-sajid-javid-money-saving-1358051
[4] Zero-based Budgeting and ZBO
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