Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisations

EDM number 943 in 2007-08, proposed by Bob Russell on 18/02/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Local government, Non-departmental public bodies and Public expenditure.

That this House notes with alarm that quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations (quangos) are now responsible for 21 per cent. of public expenditure, spending £123 billion a year, representing 40 per cent. more than the total expenditure of local government; further notes that this represents £2,000 a year per head of the population; deplores the lack of democratic involvement and accountability which quangos have, particularly those covering such vital public areas as health, police, fire and ambulance services as well as education and the arts; believes that there is no place in a modern democracy for so many decisions to be made in the name of the public by those who have no democratic mandate and accountability; welcomes the report on quangos by the New Local Government Network; and calls on the Government to come forward with proposals to transfer the current powers of quangos to bodies which are democratic and publicly accountable.

This motion has been signed by a total of 36 MPs.