To ask what you would cut if you were David Cameron?

[Seeingthebeautyineveryminute]

Can't for the life of me see how £12 billion savings are going to be made. I fear it will be cuts to already diminished support and services (as opposed to increased taxation). If you were David Cameron what would you do?

Yes bin the HS2 and I don't see why government departments need to be based in London, fuelling the SE housing crisis.

I'd scrap HS2 but bring forward the cross Pennine improvements

Reform councils. I don't think county councillors nor district councillors make much difference. I would run it without the political element & just do it as a job of work. Therefore no cost of elections and no cost of councillors. I would then add something to MPs (they don't really work with their district or county counterparts) so they do their local bit better. Would save £££s of needless bueaurcracy and more effective. ( I would also reform ambulance & fire service for rural areas (or possibly urban as well) and do it as a combined service like France - we might be able to hit response times for cardiac arrest then in rural areas as well as save money).
I would also start having grown up conversations about health - just because we can doesn't mean we should.....& also 18 weeks target was a Labour sound bite - 18 months to 18 weeks ...it us not sustainable nor necessary for every condition - it was only achievable by pouring money in.
I would also review education.....better educated, better health & lifestyle outcomes ....

Reform councils. I don't think county councillors nor district councillors make much difference. I would run it without the political element & just do it as a job of work. Therefore no cost of elections and no cost of councillors. I would then add something to MPs (they don't really work with their district or county counterparts) so they do their local bit better. Would save £££s of needless bueaurcracy and more effective

I think this is actually rather a good idea.

Closertofifty- yes, that. Far more bang for your buck with northern transport iimprovements.

If rent received is put back into the business buying more property then it's not classed as profit. And no tax is paid. That absolutely has to stop. Where I live, apart from a very small amount of social housing, there is basically one man and his family who do private rents and he hasn't got a great reputation. So either you buy (not cheap here) or move out the area or go and live in a shit hole run by a dodgy landlord who does the bare minimum to keep within the law whilst raking in hundreds of thousands in housing benefit each year.

I doubt he's generating much employment either, possibly half a dozen office staff.

When I think how much housing benefit is paid out each year, how many houses that would buy and how many families it would house in affordable secure homes it makes me pretty mad. The government is effectively lining the pockets of private landlords and if there was more social housing the benefits bill would more than halve in terms of housing costs.

Unpopular but I would bring public sector policies for sickness in line with the private sector. I don't get any sick days - just statutory. My DH works for the public sector and they get 6 months full pay. He has had staff off with stress but they are off on holiday, out and about and posting on social media how great life is.

I'd charge people with wasting NHS time - missed appointments, non-urgent visits to A&E etc. I'd stop any non-essential treatment for people not looking after their own health (for example, no fertility appointments for anyone who smoked or had a BMI over 30). I'd restrict free prescriptions to the reason the person was getting them free - for example I am a diabetic but I get ALL my prescriptions free, not just insulin and needles.

Move Westminster to the north. The mps housing costs would drop AND it's a lot more central for all mps.

By the way ....pointless managers in the nhs.....less managers in the nhs than in any other industry (fact)....and new ones have generally been brought in to deal with pointless government initiatives.
Stop reforming the nhs ( costs millions moving seats) let people get on with their jobs and then you can't use the excuse of it's too early to tell if it's worked yet ...(& then change it again before you get found out).

I don't work for the nhs by the way...

I don't get any sick days - just statutory. My DH works for the public sector and they get 6 months full pay

Holy shit. Is this true? Are you sure! I had no idea.
WTF what a ridiculous expense.

Heating in hospitals except wards where people are very ill and in public buildings generally.

What about the wards where people are not very ill but just a bit ill? Or those areas of the hospital where people are working but don't have patients? Having just spent a month or so working with an ambient temp of 15degrees on a good day it isn't at all pleasant even with additional layers, especially if you are sat at the computer for any length of time. Not to mention possibly not very legal and equipment really doesn't like it and starts to fail. Which is going to start incurring fees from engineers just to come out and tell you its too cold.

Trident, tax cuts, fuel allowance for wealthy pensioners (though I appreciate this won't make a massive difference), Michael Gove's head off.

I would also make a flat rate of say £2 on all prescriptions. Hardly anyone pays full whack.

Higher minimum wage would mean higher tax revenues

Thank you DamnBamboo - will you vote for me when I take over the world

IVF/fertility treatments cost the NHS £75million a year. A drop in the ocean compared to other issues.

I'd be very anti cuts to fertility treatment. Unless you've been through the nightmare that is infertility you cannot possibly comprehend how hard it is.

I wouldn't ibject to restrictions on child benefit, providing it only applied to children born, say, January 2016 onwards.

Those saying cut defence spending, it's already been cut to the bone. DH has witnessed cut after cut, some areas are very understaffed and it's having a serious effect on moral, leading to good people leaving the military and making it even harder for those left behind. In addition, the military do a lot of humanitarian/disaster relief across the globe, it's not all about firing guns y'know.

Heating in hospitals

Well my equipment won't work if you mess with the temperature too much so can I keep mine on? I'm also, in common with all other clinical staff, bare below the elbows so it's not like I can just put a wooly pully on.

Tax credits - I'd phase out over 2 years but would make the NMW £7.50 per hour for 18-24 year olds and £8.00 for 25+. The NMW for 16-18 year olds I'd raise to £6.50 an hour.

Child Benefit would be for the first two children only and would only be payable until age 16. I'd bring this in from April 2016. Anyone already receiving it for more than 2 children I would reduce it each year by £5 per child until it was no longer payable. CB would not be paid to any child outside the UK.

FSM would be means tested.

I would've tolerate tax avoidance and would be harshly clamping down on those companies that do.

I'd have a maximum cap on housing benefit which would differ region to region. I'd also cap the rent that rogue landlords charge. I'd set a limit on what they could charge depending on accommodation from region to region. Talking of landlords, I'd bring in much stricter rules that landlords must adhere to re repairs and what is deemed suitable accommodation.

I'd means test winter fuel allowance and free bus travel.

I'd abolish the bedroom tax and bring in legally enforceable letting agreements for social housing stating that when houses are under occupied the tenant must move.

I'd cap MP's expenses and drastically cut local Councillors wages, afterall, most of them have other employment anyway.

DamnBamboo yes for where he works

I'd be very anti cuts to fertility treatment. Unless you've been through the nightmare that is infertility you cannot possibly comprehend how hard it is.

You can use the same argument for a drug that may work for someone with a rare illness, but isn't currently funded so not available. I'd say that was more pressing than facilitating somebody becoming pregnant at the taxpayers expense. I honestly have mixed feelings about the amount/type of fertility services that should be available and I would always say that an illness should be treated first, as a priority. Mental health services are decimated year on year - and it's not right.

Good god, leave the defence budget alone. There's nothing left to cut.

I don't mean all heating,but it doesn't need to be 30 degrees in meeting rooms and corridors.

I think there are some people who take the piss with sick leave but actually I think the public sector has it right here and we shouldn't be in a race to the bottom. Say for example if someone is diagnosed with cancer and is off work having treatment they shouldn't have the extra worry of loosing their home because they can't keep up the mortgage repayments.

Increase income:
Reform council tax to exploit rises in house prices.
Freeze personal allowance on income tax at present levels for three years.
Charge foreign nationals buying UK property.

Decrease spending:
Cut the Defence budget. National debt started in the c17th to fund warfare. Time to accept The Empire has gone.
Overseas Aid. Hmmmm. Not sure about this as I have always assumed it buys leverage and (potential) big economic gains in emerging economies.
Cut working tax credit and introduce living wage.
Charge for missed NHS appointments.
Means-test pension. I would do this in a rather blunt manner in an attempt to prevent any gains being wiped-out by bureaucracy.

I have approached this using the Guardian Pie Chart. It is really hard TBH. Anything I could think of seemed to have unintended consequences.

Damn "Holy shit. Is this true? Are you sure! I had no idea."

Lots of public sector employment comes with a lot more sick leave than 6 months full pay. Mine is 26 weeks full pay and 26 weeks half pay.

Private firms can't afford to pay people for months and months of sick leave like people have in the public sector though.

There is a happy medium.