Today the Chancellor, George Osborne will address the UK public sector and invite them to take part in a brand new competition aimed at helping the government figure out where it can save more money. The country’s MPs, who have recently been granted a pleasant 10% pay rise are calling on Britain’s working public, who are now under a 1% pay freeze, to help them do their jobs as part of the current Spending Review.
The measures are reportedly being taken in an attempt to curb government waste, with the format being heavily influenced by popular BBC reality TV show, Dragon’s Den. Applicants will submit 
their money-saving ideas via a ‘short online survey’ where they will then be filtered and shortlisted. Successful candidates will then be called to face a panel of senior diplomats from the Treasury and Cabinet Office, much like Dragon’s Den hopefuls who pitch their start-up ventures to a board of high-flying entrepreneurs.
Osborne will be issuing letters to all 5.7 million public workers across the country, including teachers, nurses, civil servants, soldiers and other state employees to urge them to get involved in the process. In his letter he will say:
“You know better than most where we can take the next steps. You know first-hand where things are working well on the front line/front-line of public services, but also where the waste is and where we can provide better services for less money.
“You know where we can go further to reform our public services and where we can devolve more power so that local people have more control and local leaders are more accountable.
“In the last Parliament, when asked for your help in a similar way, many of you put forward ideas which saved millions of pounds.
“So today we are inviting you to share with us your ideas for how to get more for less. If you think there is a better way to do things, we want to know.”
The government are reportedly on track to save around £100bn by the end of the 2015/16 financial in April and hopes that the competition will boost its plight to drastically minimise wasted capital. An additional £20bn in savings is expected to be set out when the Spending Review is issued in November.
A similar exercise was carried out during the 2010 Spending Review, which led to a few substantial changes including the scrapping of plastic National Insurance cards and increased access to the Criminal Record Bureau database for employers.
So if you’ve already been knocked back from The X Factor auditions this year or don’t fancy your chances in front of the Britain’s Got Talent panel, why not enter yourself into George Osborne’s very own tournament. Hopeful entrants must submit their applications by September 4th.