Bobby urges Government to focus on long-term investment

During a recent Treasury committee hearing, Bobby Dean MP, Carshalton and Wallington, urged the Government to rethink its approach to public spending, focusing less on short-term cost-cutting and more on long-term preventive action that can save money over time..

The Committee was hearing from the Office for Value for Money, who have been commissioned by the Government to do a review of public spending.

Bobby pushed David Goldstone, Chair of the Office for Value for Money, on the Government’s tendency to prioritise ”shorter-term solutions” over “higher-impact” preventative reforms .

Mr Dean’s questioning was highlighted in The Guardian alongside a report by Demos and the Health Foundation which emphasised the need for structural reforms in how prevention spending is classified.

The report warns that years of cuts— 78% to children’s services since 2010 and 28% to public health funding per capita since 2015—have driven up costs in welfare spending and social services.

Mr Goldstone acknowledged these challenges, affirming that both immediate value for money and longer-term reforms would be prioritised in the current spending review. 

However, Bobby Dean MP raised concerns that the limited time available in the review period would potentially favour quick wins over transformative investment.

The call for change aligns with a growing consensus that prevention delivers better outcomes and saves money over time.

Bobby Dean MP argued that “this year’s spending review offers a real opportunity to rethink government policy and ensure public services focus on long-term investments that build resilience for the future.”