"Consumer champions" are to be appointed to key public services and government departments to give people who use them a greater say in how they are run, ministers have announced.

The aim of the initiative is to make public services more responsive to the views and complaints of consumers and also more accountable.

A total of 100 "champions" are to be put in place to sit on the boards of public services.

Around 30 are already in place for services including Department of Health, Foreign Office and the National Lottery Commission.

Complaints

They will have the responsibility of making sure complaints are acted upon and services are improved.

Cabinet Office minister Ian McCartney said the initiative was part of the drive to modernise government.

He said: "When we published the modernising government white paper we said that we would provide responsive public services which meet the needs of the people who use them.

"The new consumer focus for public services is one of the key ways we will make sure that promise is delivered.

"But it is not about carrying out a single test of user satisfaction and then doing nothing.

"It is about cultural change and a key lever in our drive to modernise public services. It is about gathering information where it will be most useful and have most effect, and most importantly, it is about giving the consumer a real voice in the delivery of high quality public services."

'Change and reform'

Chief Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Smith said: "The public themselves have an important role to play in the process of change and reform throughout our public services that we are seeking to bring about.

"Their experiences and views will help highlight and tackle the unacceptable variations in performance we still currently see."

The initiative has been welcomed by the National Consumer Council.

The body's director, Anna Bradley, said: "Real improvements hang on understanding the reasons for poor performance and how to put things right.

"Users must be part of this important process."