Quite obviously cutting spending means cutting government spending! Just thinking you can dismiss things as “unnecessary” or “inefficient” isn’t good enough. That’s been the claim of oppositions since time began. You need to be specific. Very specific. What services will you cut or abandon? How much will be saved and how much tax cut as a result?

All the things they do would still need to be done so how do you know those savings exist? It could cost more. It would be unlikely to be done without holding several local referendums, which themselves cost and could fail. Abolishing local oversight of policing is unlikely to be too popular so good luck to the government that attempts that. Women and minorities also vote so limiting their voice isn’t going to be popular with people capable of making a lot of noise.

There are no easy savings. Time has proven that.

I don’t want referendums. I just know that’s what would happen. Privatisation hasn’t always delivered cheaper public services. It’s often delivered profiteering and a desire to return to public ownership.

You thinking you know what would be welcomed by everyone just indicates how naive you are. It just isn’t true.

There are always some savings to be made and inefficiencies to be rooted out. There are indeed a lot in the public sector but it’s never straightforward to do so. Thinking that there are massive savings just waiting to be tapped is dreamland. If it was that easy it would have been done by now.

I can confirm this. A builder mate of mine used to work for a local Hospital doing small to medium jobs. They outsourced it by tender and low and behold the hospital now pays 10x more for the same jobs. As an example, my mate installed several road signs, the works manager, someone I knew, told me that they paid 12x as much as my mate charged and it took longer and 3 of them needed re-doing or had been put in the wrong way round! As you said he can't complain. Its a licence to print money getting a contract for government.

I have worked at several levels of employment at local Council level for several councils. The waste of resources is enormous, and I have reason to believe it's the same in Local government and National government level.
When I raised concerns at council level, my employment contract wasn't renewed.
Now I am back with a different Council, and I keep my mouth shut and just do the work.
The people around me would never survive in the commercial sector. They have a reasonably high standard of living, with additional perks, and job security. Flexi-hours and working from home are still being used, and overtime still being claimed
Why would they want to change anything ?

Edited by Forest Hillbilly (16 Mar 2024 9.41am)

I can confirm this. A builder mate of mine used to work for a local Hospital doing small to medium jobs. They outsourced it by tender and low and behold the hospital now pays 10x more for the same jobs. As an example, my mate installed several road signs, the works manager, someone I knew, told me that they paid 12x as much as my mate charged and it took longer and 3 of them needed re-doing or had been put in the wrong way round! As you said he can't complain. Its a licence to print money getting a contract for government.