Just to put you all in a foul mood for the rest of the day, they're coming thick and fast now:
---------------------------
Witterings from Witney covered the exploits of SOLACE - The Society Of Local Authority Chief Executives:
Serving council employees are operating a consultancy/recruitment company - a company which it is reported receives fees of £20,000 to head hunt chief executives and to recommend salary levels.
Having badgered them, WoW obtained a copy of the accounts for one of its subsidiaries, SOLACE Enterprises Limited, which he emailed me, these show that this subsidiary alone received £20 million of taxpayers' finest over the last two years.
---------------------------
The Fat Bigot picked up on this story:
Former cabinet minister Alan Milburn is to return to the political front line in a key advisory role to Gordon Brown. The ex-health secretary is to head a new commission on social mobility. Mr Milburn, who is seen as a Blairite, will chair a panel of industry leaders to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds get on in key professions.
Following a reasonable argument based on personal experience, facts and logic, TFB concluded that "To suggest that a quango can do anything substantive in this field - and anything in proportion to the amount of taxpayers' money thrown at it - is a complete joke."
---------------------------
Tim W rolled up his sleeves and tried to make head or tail of The New Economics Foundation's accounts.
To cut a long story short, the NEF receive about £3 million a year from "trusts and foundations, local, regional and national government and through consultancy contracts."
Just for fun, print off the accounts and try reading the 'Trustees' Report" over breakfast without choking on your cornflakes. Or take a peek at their website.
--------------------------
UPDATE JuliaM stumbles across a taxpayer funded 'charity' which spends up to £1,000 per journey to help East Europeans who want to go home.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Quangoes of the week
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
They're not totally stupid, most perceptive of Nef to choose a name so close to Naff.
The thing that always strikes me is the amount government gives these poodle organisations. So many of them receive millions each year, the figures are just blood-curdling. And it's done without any apparent second thoughts or concerns whether each million represents a fair return for the income tax paid by 200 or so average earners.
I'm glad I'm in charge of the cull, it is a most vital job.
If everyone got an equal citizens dividend out of an LVT minus govt expenditure then everyone would have an incentive to minimise govt expenditure.
It's amazing that the government is also to fund organisations that have these sorts of agendas.
If only we had some accountability in our political system....
LFAT,
No-one in politics will do anything about this until there is a scandal that is picked up on by the mainstream press, then the whole charitocracy industry will start to get exposed.
For instance, if the Education department built some windmills for schools, you'd be able to put in an FOI request, and they'd have to tell you how much it cost. Alternatively, you can find a "windmills for schools" charity, throw a load of money at them, and that charity have no obligation to tell you how many windmills they put up.
TA, actually that's not true. Many quangoes (e.g. NEF) are registered as charities, which means that they have to publish proper accounts on Charities Commission web-site, so they are easily available and free. The standard of information is vastly better than departmental accounts.
Post a Comment