Osborne: Civil servants must be more efficient

George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, has said civil servants should be required to spend taxpayers' money more efficiently as part of plans by the Conservative Party to encourage financial discipline across government.

In a speech at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Osborne proposed inserting a requirement for a new 'fiduciary responsibility' into the employment contracts of senior civil servants, requiring them to spend taxpayers' money wisely.

He also revealed a plan to introduce new ways to investigate wasteful spending and reward public sector employees for suggesting ideas that generate cost savings.

Osborne claimed the Labour government had created a public sector in which civil servants are encouraged to 'shovel money out the door as fast as possible, regardless of how well that money is spent or how it can be paid for.'

He added: 'Creating a new culture of financial discipline in Whitehall is not going to be easy. It will be like turning around a supertanker. But be in no doubt, we have the political will and detailed plans to turn the supertanker and put Britain on the right course.'