Abolition of 192 quangos will not save much money, say critics

For the chop: Alan Doran, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, £160,000. Justin McCracken, Health Protection Agency, £176,000. Keith Bartley General Teaching Council for England, between £135,000 and £140,000

12 April 2012

The Government's "bonfire of the quangos" ran into criticism today as it emerged that little or no money would be saved by the Whitehall jobs cull.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude revealed that more than half of all quangos would be either axed or reformed, with tens of thousands of civil service posts in the firing line.

But Mr Maude refused to say how much money the exercise would save and experts claimed that redundancy and merger costs meant it would take years for any savings to be realised.

Saving money was "not the principal objective", Mr Maude said.

The minister announced that 481 out of 901 "non-departmental public bodies" were being either scrapped completely or radically changed.

A total of 192 of the Whitehall bodies will be axed, with a further 118 merged and 171 "substantially" reformed.

The biggest casualties were the UK Film Council, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Health Protection Agency.

One of the surprise quangos to be culled was the Youth Justice Board, which funds crime prevention among youth groups in London. The PCS union said: "David Cameron talks of a broken society', but the role of the YJB has been to help fix that."

The Football Licensing Authority, which was set up to police safety in the wake of the Hillsborough tragedy, will also be abolished. Mr Maude said that the quango could not be retained "simply for symbolic purposes".

Shadow cabinet office minister Liam Byrne said two thirds of the 192 groups scrapped today were already in line for abolition under Labour plans, and described Mr Maude as "the most expensive butcher in the country".

The Institute for Government said that it was not clear whether any money would be saved because most functions were being transferred within Whitehall departments. The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and the National Policing Improvement Agency will also be abolished.

Some of the highest paid civil servants face losing their jobs. Andrew Hall, chief of the QCDA, is on a salary of £205,000, and Sally Caplan, of the UK Film Council, is paid £169,000.