A major new policy review launched by the government this month will welcome members of the public to pass their judgement on key public services in a new “deliberative forum”.

Cabinet office ministers Ed Miliband and Pat McFadden will support the 100 ordinary citizens as they mull over the same official papers seen by members of parliament on a daily basis, before making their decisions on the best course of action.

Three key areas will be under consideration in the Whitehall forum, namely government support to help improve lifestyle and behaviour; the popular view of public services; and the possibility of the widespread use of public sector ‘contracts’.

After meeting in February to study and consider the topics under review, the so-called ‘delegates’ will return in March for a series of ’summits’ on public services, before the findings of the forum are presented to the cabinet later that month.

This consultative forum represents the latest in a string of deliberative processes that helped the government form new policies in 2006, such as the ‘Your Health, Your Care, Your Say’ campaign that informed the Department of Health’s Community Health White Paper.

Downing Street has also launched its online e-petition service, to which more than 150,000 people have added their signatures to over 1,000 petitions since November.

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