Government announces its 'Bonfire of the Quangos'
13 October 2010

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude has today summarised plans to substantially reform a large number of UK Public Bodies across government, a term dubbed by the national press as "Bonfire of the Quangos" with the word 'quango' being an acronym for 'quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation'. The Government proposes to reform 481 bodies. Of these, 192 will cease to be public bodies and their functions will either be brought back into Government, devolved to local government, moved out of Government or abolished altogether.

The review is part of the Government’s commitment to radically increase the transparency and accountability of all public services. The Government intends to introduce a Public Bodies Bill that will enable many of these plans to be implemented. The reform process, which covered all of HM Government’s Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), as well as other bodies, such as some non-ministerial departments and some public corporations, will help to reinvigorate the public’s trust in democracy and also ensure that the Government operates in a more efficient and business-like way. Examples include:

• Devolving responsibility for the work of Development Corporations to local government
• Bringing organisations under more direct Ministerial control, such as the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, Renewable Fuels Agency and, as previously announced, the Appointments Commission; and
• Enabling organisations, such as the Design Council and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), to become charities.

In addition, as part of the planned reforms, if it is clear that a public body has accomplished its mission and no longer needs to exist, it will be abolished.

Download a copy of the Public Bodies Review (433KB, )