Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has launched www.small-ideas.org, a cross-party charitable initiative aiming to turn the UK public’s everyday fixes into actionable policy.
Until 12 November 2026, the public can submit suggestions to for practical, low cost, non-controversial ways to improve the UK. Health, schools, transport, business, housing, policing, justice, tech, shopping, money, or something else entirely.
Innovation charity Nesta’s Centre for Collective Intelligence and public participation charity Involve will take the public’s ideas for everyday fixes and turn them into professional policy.
A cross-party panel of politicians and policy experts: Jonathan Bartley, Mayor Tracy Brabin, Dame Tamara Finkelstein, Danny Kruger MP, Polly Mackenzie, Dame Penny Mordaunt, Emma Roddick MSP, Kwajo Tweneboa, and chaired by Martin Lewis CBE will then choose the final ideas to take to government, councils and regulators – with the goal of getting them turned into action.
The Initiative aims to bypass the structural and often partisan issues that typically occupy politicians, instead providing a unique focus on the smaller fixes across a huge range of areas that could quickly improve daily life.
The idea was triggered by a campaign that resulted in councils committing to having only one form and one system for people with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or severe strokes who are eligible for a hugely under-publicised council tax reduction, under the Severe Mental Impairment (SMI) rules – a small change with real impact.
The Initiative will consider ideas submitted before the deadline of 12 November 2026. They may be submitted by all members of the public, plus charities and organisations that represent those who can’t represent themselves. The type of ideas that will be considered include:
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Practical – a solution, not just a complaint
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Do-able – it must be something that could realistically change
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Relatively inexpensive – if it costs too much, government, regulators, or councils won’t do it
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Decent impact – whether it could help millions of people a little, or thousands of people a lot
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And crucially… hard to disagree with – the kind of thing that 80% of people, whatever their politics, would say “yeah, that makes sense”
Ideas that can’t be accepted:
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Too local – a drinking water fountain in your local park won’t cut it (a water fountain in every park may do)
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Overly political – no party lines, and no dog whistles
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Illegal – breaks the law, criminal or otherwise
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Harmful – nothing that harms people or animals
Following the initial crowdsourcing phase, the team at Nesta will first filter the submissions to ensure they fit the criteria. Then Involve will convene academics, specialists and policy experts to check the practicality and feasibility of the ideas, turning them into professional policy proposals. A longlist of ideas will be published and the public will be able to give their own feedback on the ideas.
Finally, the cross-party panel will review the ideas and the feedback to select a final list of around 50 do-able proposals and ensure they have appeal across the political spectrum. We will then take this manifesto of small ideas to decision-makers and campaign for their implementation.
Kathy Peach, Director of the Centre for Collective Intelligence at Nesta, said:
“The government is understandably busy grappling with big structural questions, but that shouldn’t stop us from getting smaller, straightforward things done. Until now, there hasn’t been a good way to find ideas from communities around the UK and make sure they get a fair hearing, or get them into our statute books and regulations. The Small Ideas Initiative is designed to change that, acting as the bridge between the public’s practical solutions and political action.”
Sue Tibballs, CEO of Involve, said:
“Years of bringing people into decision-making have shown us that the public are brilliant at understanding problems and finding solutions. Those on the receiving end of policy and services know best where things aren’t working, and they’re often the first to spot how to fix them. The Small Ideas Initiative is an exciting democratic innovation that gives everyday experience and common sense a real route to power, helping to find ways to make life better for us all.”