ABOUT

For years, British politicians have promised a 'bonfire of the quangos' but only delivered hot air and half-baked debates.

Their chatter might occasionally spotlight what UK quangos do, who’s pulling the strings, and how much taxpayers’ cash they guzzle - but it’s nowhere near enough.

The sprawling network of quangos remains opaque and confusing to many. These organisations - often obscure to the public, including the journalists and politicians tasked with holding them accountable - continue to wield significant influence over our political system.

These domestic bodies have grown in number and power, burdening governance and siphoning off increasing amounts of taxpayers’ cash. It's high time light was shed on how many there are, what they do, how much they cost, and the extent to which they meddle in our policymaking.

British taxpayers deserve to know the truth about the hidden machinery steering their country. It’s time for Britain's quangos to be uncovered.

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THE QUANGO DATABASE

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RESEARCH

	Quango Fees and Levies TaxPayers’ Alliance examines the fees and levies imposed by quangos.
	Big Spending Projects Gone Wrong TaxPayers’ Alliance highlights how quangos cause major government projects to be over budget and delivered late.
	Quango Rich List 2025 TaxPayers’ Alliance reveals the number of staff at quangos who received over £100,000 in total remuneration in 2023-24.
	Members of the Board 2025 TaxPayers’ Alliance reveals that in 2022-23 there were 285 individuals sitting on more than one quango board, including one individual who sat on a total of nine boards.
	Quango Spending Over Time An examination of how quango spending has evolved over the past four decades.
	Quango Database TaxPayers’ Alliance provides a comprehensive overview of Britain’s quangos, detailing their operations and costs.
	Growth of Financial Regulators TaxPayers’ Alliance examines the rapid expansion of Britain’s financial regulatory bodies and the increasing burden on taxpayers and the economy.

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MEDIA

	BBC NEWS: Over 300 quango bosses paid more than the prime minister Over 300 quango bosses received a higher salary than the prime minister last year, according to the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA).
	EXPRESS: Quango gravy train is making staff £145k a year The scale of Britain's professional 'quangocrats' is spiralling.
	THE SPECTATOR: Revealed: Over a thousand quango staff earn six figures A whopping 1,379 quango workers were remunerated over £100,000 in 2023-24, according to analysis from the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
	THE TELEGRAPH: ‘Shock’ for taxpayers as 1,400 quango bosses paid six-figure salaries Hundreds of quangocrats earning more than Prime Minister despite Labour crack down.
	THE TELEGRAPH: Squeezed taxpayers continue to fund quango bosses’ six-figure salaries Funded by taxpayers but not directly accountable to them, these arms-length bodies wield great power at an immense cost to the public purse.
	DAILY MAIL: So much for a bonfire of the quangos! Figures show at least 350 bosses earn more than the Prime Minister Hundreds of fat-cat public officials were paid more than the Prime Minister last year – sparking calls for Labour to speed up its promised 'bonfire of the quangos'.
	THE TIMES: More than 1,300 quango staff on salaries and benefits over £100,000 An analysis of packages enjoyed by senior staff at bodies from HS2 to national parks exposes the challenge facing the PM as he pledges to trim the state.
	TELEGRAPH: Quango boss on nine boards misses quarter of meetings Martin Spencer was a board member of more government bodies than anyone else in the public sector in 2022-23.
	EXPRESS: UK spends £125m on salaries for quangocrats as waste spirals The Taxpayers' Alliance has revealed the scale of Britain's professional 'quangocrats' as the total cost of the bodies spirals.
	THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Civil servants allowed to work abroad to visit lovers and extend holidays ‘Sun-worshipping quangocrats’ log in from as far afield as Australia and the Maldives.
	SUNDAY EXPRESS: Fury at taxpayer-paid staff working from Spain, France and Italy Employees in public sector bodies are getting the green light to work overseas.
	THE SUN on SUNDAY: Public sector staff allowed to work from foreign countries The most common countries were Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.
	GB NEWS: Civil Service sparks outrage as eye-watering figures expose THOUSANDS being permitted to work 'from beaches' In new shock data collated by the Taxpayers' Alliance, thousands of public sector workers have been granted permission to work from abroad.
	GB NEWS: Nana Akua blasts civil servants working abroad Whilst you and I struggle to keep things afloat, a load of unelected people who have extraordinary amounts of power to steer the destiny of this country are languishing in foreign paradises'.
	GUIDO FAWKES: Taxpayers Fund Interpretive Dance Research into Worm-Like Phallic Forms Taxpayers are funding interpretive dance research into 'worm-like phallic forms' through quango grants according to a TPA investigation.
	GUIDO FAWKES: Civil Servants Doing Knitting and Menopause Yoga During Working Hours Quango civil servants are engaging in activities like knitting and menopause yoga during work hours according to a TPA investigation.
	GUIDO FAWKES: Pensions Regulator Mandarins Spend £20,000 on Picnics and Chair Yoga Pensions Regulator officials spent £20,000 of taxpayer money on picnics and chair yoga, according to a TPA investigation.
	GUIDO FAWKES: Ofgem Officials Take Thousands of International Flights Despite Only Regulating Energy in Britain Ofgem officials have taken thousands of international flights, costing taxpayers significantly, despite their remit being limited to Britain, according to a TPA investigation.
	GUIDO FAWKES: Ofwat Officials Take Dozens of International Flights Despite UK-Only Remit Ofwat officials have taken dozens of international flights, funded by taxpayers, despite their UK-only regulatory role, according to a TPA investigation.
	THE SPECTATOR: Why the Valuation Office Agency isn’t value for money Call wait times have more than doubled over the last three years, targets have been increasingly missed and complaints about the organisation have shot up by 200 per cent according to a TPA investigation.
	THE TELEGRAPH: Rayner’s housing quango bosses spend thousands on hospitality and travel Angela Rayner’s housing quango has spent nearly a quarter of a million pounds on expenses for director, according to a TPA investigation.
	THE JEWISH CHRONICLE: UK could pay anti-Israel band Kneecap up to £90,000 in legal costs Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused ministers of handing over taxpayer money to the group, which she accused of ‘glorifying evil terror groups’, after ministers dropped a court case against it.
	THE TIMES: Keir Starmer under pressure to cut costs as quango expenditure doubles Quango costs have more than doubled in a decade despite successive pledges to slim down spending on public bodies, according to figures.
	GUIDO FAWKES: Taxpayers fork out £391 billion on quangos in one year A TaxPayers' Alliance investigation reveals that quangos cost taxpayers £391 billion in a single year, highlighting the scale of public spending.
	THE SUN: Shock as £376BILLION of taxpayer cash swallowed up by quangos in a year, report finds A new report by the TaxPayers' Alliance exposes how quangos are consuming vast amounts of taxpayers' money..
	THE TIMES: Slash number of green quangos, Rachel Reeves tells ministers Ministers face calls to reduce spending on environmentally focused quangos as costs continue to burden taxpayers, with DEFRA having 38 quangos according to the TaxPayers' Alliance.
	GB NEWS: Britain's quangos blow almost £400bn a year, 'explosive' findings show Nearly a third of Government spending now funds quangos, which employ more staff than the population of Cardiff, new figures from the Taxpayers' Alliance have revealed.
	EXPRESS:Taxpayers spend nearly £400bn on 438 quangos, 'explosive' findings show Arms-length bodies are now responsible for almost one third of government spending and employ almost 500,000 staff, the Taxpayers’ Alliance has warned.

BLOGS AND ARTICLES

	LBC OPINION: If Starmer promised change, why are ministers still powerless against Britain’s quangocracy It’s no secret that Sir Keir Starmer and his top team aren’t happy with the way the British state runs itself.
	THE CRITIC: Kemi should abolish the College of Policing The Tory leader wants to scrap “non-crime hate incidents”, but she should abolish the root cause.
	TPA BLOG: Britain's Quangos Uncovered: Unaccountable power, biased broadcasting, and bloated paychecks So what’s the problem with Channel 4? On a practical level its public ownership allows it to operate on an unfair footing relative to purely private channels.
	CapX: Britain is drowning in an alphabet soup of quangos Many quangos are halfway houses for retired mandarins and talking shops for the well-connected.
	THE CRITIC: Britain Needs a Quangopalypse A periodic “quango cull” is not enough.
	TPA BLOG: Britain's Quangos Uncovered: A car crash in management What should be done about the Driving Vehicle Standards Authority and the Driving Vehicle Licensing Authority?
	TPA BLOG: The Environment Agency is a bureaucratic mess. Chalk streams deserve better The Environment Agency’s inefficiencies and bureaucratic overreach hinder effective management of Britain’s chalk streams.
	THE CRITIC: British courts are being clogged by unaccountable quangos Quangos are overwhelming the judicial system with unnecessary legal challenges, burdening taxpayers and delaying justice.
	CapX: Ineffective quangos are costing Britons billions Learners waiting for driving tests are stumping up cash for an inadequate state service provided by a quango.
	CapX: Quangos and lazy ministers wreak havoc on our politics Unaccountable quangos and ineffective ministerial oversight are undermining effective governance and public trust.
	THE CRITIC: No one should have to support the BBC The BBC’s funding model, reliant on taxpayer money, is outdated and forces citizens to fund content they may not support and Ofcom is forcing people to see it.

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VIDEOS

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