Issued by: Cabinet Office

Three new cross-government taskforces are being launched in the new Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet, tackling systemic issues like the cost of living and public control of essentials and supporting local communities.

• Action to be taken on cost of living, local regeneration and essential services to drive down costs and support families.

• Taskforces will tackle the immediate priorities of the public, building on action already taken including cutting bus fares and cracking down on subscription traps.

• First Secretary of State, Louise Haigh to drive forward work across government to develop local solutions for local communities.

Three new cross-government taskforces are being launched in the new Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet, tackling systemic issues like the cost of living and public control of essentials and supporting local communities.

The three taskforces will coordinate departments and ministers, focusing on the priorities set out by the Prime Minister to Cabinet yesterday.

The priorities will be driven forward by First Secretary of State, Louise Haigh, who will work across central and local government - including with regional Mayors as the government continues to pass powers from Westminster.

Immediate action will focus on challenging everyday rip-offs, the visible decline of local town centres and the failure of many privatised utilities to deliver basic services at a fair price.

First Secretary of State Louise Haigh said:

"The Prime Minister has been clear that the government’s priorities are the public’s priorities. This is about putting people back in control of the things that matter most to them and ensuring that the everyday essentials are more affordable and more accountable."

Based in the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the taskforces will be fully integrated with No10 and across government to deliver the change the public rightly expect to see.

Details on the three priorities and taskforces:

Cost of Living

On the cost of living, earning back public trust begins with understanding the pressures facing families at the kitchen table. Action has already been taken in this area, including cuts to bus fares, support with energy bills and cracking down on subscription traps, but we must go further. The taskforce will look to address the long term issues facing families, many of which have too often fallen through the cracks.

Public Control

For decades, the essential services that underpin daily life - housing, water, energy and transport - have suffered from over-privatisation, leading to high costs for the public. The Government is clear that the public has a right to expect these services to be affordable and accountable.

The public control taskforce will rewire the state, examining how public control across those four sectors can be utilised to return them to public service, and bring down costs for families. Looking at areas including market reform that could support these aims.

Community Renewal

Our communities have been left behind, high streets falling into disrepair, rubbish piling up at the sides of our streets - we will reverse that, improving people’s everyday experience of where they live.

Working with local leaders, we will create a genuine plan to rebuild Britain, not just replicating high street strategies that have gone before, ensuring communities are supported to drive through solutions, and deliver growth in every postcode.

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