The Government has drafted in Facebook as part of its digital crowdsourcing initiative to help it cut spending.
Its second crowdsourcing initiative, launched this morning, will facilitate debate and solicit opinion as to how and where it can cut spending effectively.
Last week saw the launch of Your Freedom by deputy PM Nick Clegg.
Facebook’s Democracy Page, which has 272,767 followers, will host the spending-cut debate and link directly to the initiative’s website and app, developed by digital democracy agency DeLib.
The most feasible submissions are expected to be pursued with government departments.
PM David Cameron held a web conference with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg yesterday, streamed on Number10.gov.uk, to help promote the partnership.
Thanking Zuckerberg for coming on board, Cameron said, “Normally, if government wants to engage with people, we would spend millions of pounds, even billions of pounds on our own website. With your help we’re getting this public engagement for free.”
Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Francis Maude has answered MPs’ questions about the financing of digital crowdsourcing initiatives, at a time when the Cabinet Office intends to dramatically reduce the number of government and quango websites because of profligacy.
Maude last month declared that no further government websites would be created. The two digital crowdsourcing initiatives have, however, emerged since.
In an online forum, Maude told Labour MP for West Bromwich Tom Watson that the cost of building the Your Freedom site was estimated at £3,200, while the “off-the-shelf” app was situated within the website.
He defended the creation of the site on the basis that it didn’t need to come before the Efficiency Board as estimated running costs – at £19,853.98 over three years – were below the £20,000 threshold for approval.
Via NMA
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