Treasury announces eighth Invest to Save Budget awards
The government has awarded £31million to 30 schemes that demonstrate efficient and innovative joint working between different public bodies.
Among the winners of the eighth annual ‘invest to save budget’ awards are schemes that improve charity involvement in delivering public services, increase access to the arts for children and deliver efficiencies in the field of public sector procurement.
Invest to save is a joint Treasury and Cabinet Office programme that rewards schemes that promote joint working in the public sector. Since the scheme was launched in 1999, it has invested £450million in various initiatives.
Included in the winners is a national scheme that will group local arts venues together to provide captioning and audio services for deaf, blind and partially sighted people to enhance their access to the arts.
An award has also been made to a national museums scheme to make better use of online technology, particularly for schools. Ten museums will be involved in the
And the Treasury has provided backing for a project in London to test whether a telephone helpline manned by voluntary workers for homeless people would be a more effective way of responding to the needs of vulnerable people than the traditional 999 service.
Des Browne, chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “The principles that underpin the ISB, that of promoting partnership working, harnessing risk, fostering innovation and delivering longer-term efficiencies, are in line with this Government’s ongoing programme of public service reform.
“In addition, the ISB has allocated over £97 million to VCS-led projects which have made a real difference to communities and reaching those in society that the public and private sectors are less able to reach.”
