The UK government is poised to overhaul its bureaucratic structure, considering the abolition of hundreds of quangos in a bid to streamline decision-making and reduce public spending.
The UK government is considering abolishing hundreds of quangos, a move that could bring significant changes to the country’s state structure and civil service. The proposal comes after Keir Starmer told his cabinet to stop ‘outsourcing’ decisions to regulators and quangos, urging ministers to take more responsibility for their own departments.
Quangos are arms-length organisations that operate outside of Whitehall, often with significant powers over policies that are of national importance. These bodies have been a subject of criticism in recent years, with some arguing that they duplicate work and lack accountability.
A quango, short for Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organization, is a public body that operates outside of direct government control.
These organizations often provide essential services and support to the community, but with varying degrees of autonomy.
In the UK, quangos were initially introduced in the 1960s to address specific policy areas.
Today, there are over 1,000 quangos operating across various sectors, including healthcare, education, and environment.
Ministers are considering introducing legislation to abolish a swathe of quangos as part of the government’s plans to restructure the state and cut thousands more civil service job cuts. The bill would speed up the reorganisation of over 300 arms-length organisations that together spend around £353bn of public money.
Under the Cabinet Office‘s review, quangos with significant powers over policies that are of national importance will be brought back into departments, with expert staff retained to work in these areas. However, in cases where it is essential that quangos are independent from ministerial decision-making, such as those with a regulatory function or that scrutinise government or protect the rule of law, they will remain unaffected.
Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union, has expressed concerns about the potential impact on specialist civil servants working in arm’s-length bodies. He argues that these functions are often underappreciated in Westminster and must be protected. ‘Any reorganisation must not jeopardise the expertise and specialist skills contained within arm’s-length bodies,’ Clancy believes.
As part of the government’s efforts to reduce spending and streamline decision-making, ministers are also urging departments to make greater use of technology such as artificial intelligence tools. Branded merchandise and staff away-days for civil servants are set to be curbed as part of a crackdown on wasteful spending in the civil service.
The government is expected to announce further details about its plan to abolish quangos, including the potential introduction of legislation. The move is seen as a significant step towards reorganising the state and reducing public spending.
- theguardian.com | Ministers consider abolishing hundreds of quangos, sources say
