Jacob Rees Mogg orders quangos’ ‘bonfire’ to save taxpayers’ money

Jacob Rees Mogg orders quangos’ ‘bonfire’ to save taxpayers’ money
JACOB Rees-Mogg has ordered a “bonfire” of quasi-governmental organizations in order to save taxpayers money. Officials from the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency wrote to fellow ministers urging them to close or merge a slew of public bodies and government agencies.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is believed to be among the organizations facing the chopping block. Mr. Rees-Mogg wrote in a letter to Cabinet colleagues that the cost and number of quangos “continue to increase.”
He requested from each secretary of state a list of government entities that could be merged or closed, including those whose functions “could be provided by organizations other than the state.”
His intervention came ahead of a “review program” for public bodies that will begin this week with the goal of identifying cost savings at individual quangos.
Ministers reportedly want to cut the cost of public entities by up to 20%.
Mr Rees-Mogg wrote in his letter: “Public bodies that are required by law are critical delivery mechanisms for the government. The price and quantity of these bodies continue to rise.
“Public bodies should only exist when there is a pressing need, must be accountable to Parliament and be efficient and effective. Please review your public bodies for any that you consider could be provided by organizations other than the state and therefore closed.
“There are other bodies that have duplication in the types of service they provide, often causing confusion to the public. These organizations could well be merged to create a more coherent service for the public, share best practices and reduce cost.”
He asked ministers to provide “a list of your public bodies sponsored by your department” and “your proposals to close and merge bodies from that list”, by June 24.
Mr. Rees-Mogg added: “Taxpayers’ money should be spent efficiently and on worthwhile areas. It’s right, then, that we should always look at public organizations and whether they are delivering for the British public.”
According to one Whitehall source, the DVLA has “completely failed” to “to provide the public service it is meant to”.
The agency has come under fire for failing to address a massive backlog of licence applications and renewals following the pandemic.
For the latest International News Follow BOL News on Google News. Read more on Latest International News on oldsite.bolnews.com
Read More News On
Catch all the Business News, Breaking News Event and Latest News Updates on The BOL News
Download The BOL News App to get the Daily News Update & Live News.