To ask what ONE thing you’d want the government to spend more money on? Or top three perhaps…

[AngryBirdsNoMore]

Inspired by one of the threads on the £100k cut off for funded nursery hours. On these threads, there are always replies that there are better things the government could be spending money on than paying for childcare for higher earners.

I don’t disagree - but I think we’ve all got so used to the idea that there isn’t any money for ANYTHING.

So if you could fund or increase funding to any one thing (or top three if you can’t choose), what would it be? Blank chequebook time.

And is there anything you would stop funding to…

For me, it’s education. Fund more teachers (reducing workload) on better pay, improve facilities in all schools, and make sure there are no black spots with no primary school provision.

Meanwhile, I’d stop funding subsidised bars and restaurants in parliament. There are loads of food and drink options in Westminster - or they can eat in parliament but pay for it.

Schools and the NHS

Fund the NHS, and revamp it, getting rid of all the unnecessary managers. Let's get Hattie Jacques back.

Fund SEN services, providing much better assistance and facilities in mainstream education.

Fund mental health services.

Increase carers allowance to 35 hours pw of at least living wage and treat it like the job it is. We collectively save the country god knows how many billions over our lifetimes of caring for our severely disabled family members and the government knows what would happen if we all stopped doing it but they count on the fact we could never do that to our parents, disabled siblings, disabled adult children etc.

Tax cuts. I don’t want them spending any more money.

NHS, schools, care homes, nurseries

NHS, placing bans on unscrupulous dog breeding and slowing down on the vast amount of fast food restaurants and crap food sold in our supermarkets (last one will never happen but I’d still like to see a change nonetheless)

NHS, social care, education. Much of this could be achieved by restoring funding for local councils. That has been a big 'hidden cut'.

Health & Care:
Better funding for NHS (not necessarily more but better ie streamline it -
ie to offer better care for same money) But with extra funding given to Mental Health & Maternity provisions.
Better funding for Carers & a proper program of support for disabled folk

Education:
Better funding for public education at ALL levels

Security:
I'd spend more on national Cyber security & give more to the Armed Forces.
Not because of this recent story about national conscription but because, if we are going to run a set of Armed Forces, it makes sense to have enough of them (& with enough equipment, from Aircraft carriers to boots)

CUTS:
I'd cut spending on subsidies for MPs.
I'd cut spending on junkets for MPs
I'd try to cut waste in local govornment.

Education, health care, social care.

#1 Armed Forces - we need a much bigger military.
#2 Immigration control - we should have a 1 in, 2 out system. One person would be allowed in (subject to an assessment of their suitability) for every two people that are legally entitled to be here but chose to permanently leave.
#3 Energy price controls - energy prices should be fixed at 2015 levels.
#4 Prisons/Justice - build more prisons, lock up more people and for longer, bring back executions for serious and persistent offenders.
#5 Abolish the TV Licence.

I've got loads more but that's the top 5.

Adult social care
NHS
Local authorities

All very unexciting stuff but all in crisis. LA touches on adult social care but also includes children's care and other priority needs which are all in crisis.

If everything else was ok and I could ask for something extra it would free lifelong learning from pre-school to pHD.

Public services. I think as a nation we would be happier and healthier and more productive if our public services worked better.
Investing in further education and training that is not university.
For our roads to be mended and some kind of national campaign about littering; it’s truly abysmal.

Education (not just schools)
Healthcare
Social care

To be honest most other things fall out of that. For example if social care was properly funded councils wouldn't be spending £££ on short term (expensive) solutions and could spend it on services.

1. Environment/pollution (without that, nothing else matters)
2. NHS/social care
3. Mental health/addiction/crime prevention and rehab

Defence. I’m so sick of the armed forces always being the poor relation when it comes to spending. The Govt have sent lots of our equipment to Ukraine without a second thought as to what our forces are going to do without it.

DS1 joined up in 2014, the vehicles his regiment were promised were already years late, they still don’t have them. It’s an absolute joke but no one will admit it.

The NHS needs more money too. The population is aging which is costing more money. It needs to be a cross party system not a political pawn, which it has been since its formation.

Health Services - properly funded/insurance/direct payment for GP services by patients - reformed NHS though, no more diversity/hug a ward manager/art in hospital rubbish, management etc.

Education - but sort out behaviour - employ ex forces/security/police to crack down on yobs and disruption in class - proper sanctions for bad behaviour including fines for parents - money = the original carrot/stick to change people's behaviour - tends to quickly focus the mind, especially if they're going to be fined.
Proper SEN schools and places.
Ideally, set up practical and vocational colleges for 14+ year olds who aren't academic or who aren't interested in learning academic subjects. Train them to do something useful. Any age person can go to these to learn a new skill/change career direction.

More support for disabled and ND people to access employment and training. Support to work part time/flexibly.

I know it's another point, but bring back prison farms as bringing prisoners into contact with plants and animals is massively therapeutic and can help people reform. Get them into the community to plant trees, fruit trees and bushes, vegetables and gardens on disused/waste areas. Improve the environment and clean up places. So many people are destructive now and need to be exposed to constructive practices, particularly around greenery which is hugely beneficial for everyone and wildlife.

CAMHS
Education (more vocational choices at GCSE)
Renewable Energy

Social care - both adult and children & families. Local authorities have had their funding cut to the bone over the last decade, and it's had a real impact on the lives of the most vulnerable.

Housing - this is linked to local authority funding, but if we had a massive investment in building new social housing, local authorities wouldn't have so many families living in emergency accommodation, or paying so much in housing benefit to private landlords, who are often renting ex-council homes back to them. The London borough I live in has had a decade-long 'regeneration' programme that's meant demolishing thousands of social rented homes to build multi-million £ private flats that have been sold off overseas to end up on Airbnb while local families live in costly, mouldy private rented flats.

Mental health care - it's true that the NHS needs funding across a range of areas, but mental health has never been given the priority of cancer referral pathways/A&E target times. If you've ever tried to access CAMHS you'll know just how dire it is across the country. We're failing children.

Just giving local Councils a decent amount of money to work with would go a long way.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with what you’ve said about the army - with all public services, I feel like it makes sense to have it done PROPERLY and WELL, rather than in a half hearted, shitty way.

The NHS for example - I’m on a two year waiting list for a chronic medical issue that affects my son and causes him pain every day. It now looks like his brother will have the same issue. We’ve gone private for DS1; going private for both will be a mega stretch, especially as I’m on maternity leave. But the NHS option is to leave them both in daily discomfort / pain for literally years.

Im a civil servant - can I ask what people mean by ‘streamlining’ government / local government / NHS management services? I don’t doubt there’s waste but in my department we’ve been cut and cut and cut - to the point that the department lost legal challenges and has now had to grow its workforce a bit again and increase pay.

Michael Gove, is that you?!

I jest (and no offence meant) - but you’ve just described a few of his ideas for penal reform, many of which were backed by international research and independent reviews. I totally agree with some of them, like prison farms and purposeful activity for prisoners - locking people up for 23 hours a day for years doesn’t benefit anyone, and costs money while it’s doing it.

Unfortunately Gove got side tracked by Brexit campaigning (and bullying - his bullying of junior and senior civil servants is well documented, and paved the way for people like Raab) and he didn’t spend as long as he could have as justice secretary.

Unexciting stuff working well would be so so great.

1. Council Homes. Building proper Council homes. Safe, warm, secure and NEVER to be sold on or taken out of Council ownership.

1. Non-school provision for under 18's. Sure Start Centres at one end, through to Youth Clubs, sports clubs, music clubs at the other. Everything and anything to get kids to socialise, escape and find their thing.

1. Access to open space and nature. More city parks, new connections between green spaces, a new National Park. Plus a green bus network all over the country to get to them.

Education

Social housing. Provide affordable social housing and the government would save huge amounts on paying Uc and housing benefit which is going to pay off landlords's mortgages. The current situation is a disgrace.