Ministers are hoping to cut more than £7 billion from the cost of running the Government with a major review of wasteful public spending.

A 12 month efficiency  drive with reviews into different areas of Government spending headed by senior private sector figures has been outlined by. Yvette Cooper, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury  who said.  “We need continual improvements to make sure the taxpayer is getting the best possible value for money. Public Sector efficiency has improved significantly in recent years, but we need to keep doing more”

The four areas identified for cost-cutting are:-

• Buying in bulk by government departments.
• Using government property more efficiently.
• Changing the management of government asserts, possibly through greater private sector involvement.
• Merging back office and IT functions