In its war on waste, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government has been busy scrutinising the effectiveness of quangos – and today’s news may intensity the process somewhat. For it has now emerged that more than 1,300 public body staff earn over six figures a year, with their salaries and benefits topping £100,000. More than that, over 200 staffers are taking home more money a year than the Prime Minister – who himself is on £172,000. Alright for some!
A whopping 1,379 quango workers were remunerated over £100,000 in 2023-24, according to analysis from the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA), while almost 300 people received benefits totalling over £200,000. The body employing the most staff receiving at least £100,000 in renumeration – including salary, expenses, bonuses and pension contributions – is Homes England, with 111 workers earning large, according to the Times. In second place is the National Employment Savings Trust, with 56 staff earning more than £100,000, and the Financial Conduct Authority is in third, with 45 workers on six figures. Crikey!
Quango bosses have had a good run of it too, with 28 having received pension contributions of over £100,000. HS2 chief exec Mark Thurston is earning a staggering £618,195 a year while Sir Andrew Haines, boss of Network Rail, has a healthy pay packet of £588,000. This is, of course, despite rather significant issues with both the progress of the HS2 train line construction project and, er, frequent railway disruptions…
The TPA’s startling findings illustrate the scale of the challenge facing Starmer in his war on quangos. The PM has called for the state to become more ‘agile’ by cutting back on public body costs. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden announced there would be a review of ‘arm’s length bodies across government’, issuing a warning that if departments cannot justify the existence of quangos, they’ll be merged or closed. So far the Labour lot have scrapped NHS England and initiated a credit card crackdown – but today’s figures suggest Starmer has a long way to go yet in his quest to cull quangos. Talk about having your work cut out, eh?
Comments