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The Quango Database
The truth is out there. While I’m not about to take you through a TPA investigation into UFOs and the unexplained, the latest findings from our Britain’s Quangos Uncovered ([link removed]) campaign might be just as shocking.

The scale and extent of the quango state has been laid bare following months of work from our research team, poring over accounts, analysing responses to our information requests, and crunching the numbers. The truth behind the tangled web of bureaucracy that dominates so much of our lives is now at your finger tips with the TPA’s Quango Database ([link removed]) .
All in all, 438 quangos received £376 billion in government funding in 2023-24, on top of £36 billion in non-governmental income while employing half a million people! Less than three weeks ago, Sir Keir Starmer was reshuffling his cabinet. But while the names on the doors may have changed, nearly a third of government spending remains outside day-to-day ministerial control. Check out the database for yourself here. ([link removed])

The growth of the quango state has been decades in the making with Tony Blair responsible for creating the most quangos as prime minister, setting up 92. Adjusted for the number of years served, Gordon Brown set up the most quangos, with 38 over a three year period, or an average of almost 13 per year. Dave ‘bonfire of the quangos’ Cameron created 54 during his time in office. You have to go all the way back to Anthony Eden to find a prime minister who served at least one full year and didn’t create a new one.

Our findings, branded “explosive” by Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice, could be found across the media with coverage in the Sun ([link removed]) , GB News ([link removed]) , the Times ([link removed]) , and the Express ([link removed]) . John O’Connell was spot on when he told journalists: “The combined might of this bureaucracy dwarfs that of any single government department. Yet this ministry of quangos remains unelected and largely unaccountable to the public footing the bill. Ministers must get a grip on this shadow state. That means axing functions, demanding transparency, and ultimately putting quangos back under proper democratic control.” William Yarwood also followed up with an op-ed in the Critic
([link removed]) . Pairing back some of the responsibilities of these quangos and axing some functions ([link removed]) would be a good place to start as Jonathan Eida noted in his op-ed for City A.M. Clipping some wings to tackle mission creep is long overdue.
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After hitting the airwaves ([link removed]) on Talk, Callum McGoldrick and William could be found in the TPA studio, diving deep into the numbers. You can watch their conversation in full here ([link removed]) .

There is a lack of transparency that runs through the heart of our government. Even when data is available, it’s often a long way from being able to be called ‘user friendly’ and is rarely all in one place. Which is why this database is so important. We’re here to help taxpayers understand where all their money is going, shining a light into the dark recesses of government.

With such enormous spending power, the need for far greater democratic oversight cannot be ignored. Ministers come and go but those people who are really making decisions are often hidden away, obscured from public scrutiny. It’s no wonder people think things never change…

Can you support our campaign and help bring accountability to how taxpayers’ money is being spent by clicking here to donate? ([link removed])
The Fracturing of British Politics
John joined podcast host, Duncan Barkes, for this week’s episode of a nation of taxpayers. Their guest was renowned political consultant James Frayne. James founded and ran the Public First research agency between 2016 and 2025.
They discuss where the country is heading politically and James gives some fascinating insights into how the attitudes of voters are changing when it comes to taxes and spending. He also spells out the mistakes made so far by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and where he thinks Reform UK are heading.

Catch the latest episode of a nation of taxpayers now on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , and YouTube ([link removed]) .
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The cost of Khan
Sir Sadiq Khan might have some stiff competition when it comes to who’s Britain’s most hated politician (it’s a crowded field afterall), but there’s one area where he leaves everyone else in the dust - his salary.

That’s right, the mayor of London is now the most highly paid politician in the country, raking in a whopping £170,282, that’s even more than the prime minister.
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Adding a bit of context ([link removed]) , the TPA team crunched the numbers showing Khan and his team of nine deputy mayors (yep, he really has nine of them), cost a total of almost £1.5 million. That’s more than 3,000 band D council tax precepts.

Writing on the TPA blog ([link removed]) , Callum notes: “That is equivalent to 232,282 daily capped tube fares in zones 1-3 or 193,437 ULEZ charges… Londoners are being asked to fund a lavish gravy train at City Hall while facing a less safe city and a less reliable transport network. The evidence is clear, the current leadership is a costly failure.”
Lammy’s lavish summer bash
The country might be in a somewhat miserable state right now but that didn’t deter David Lammy from trying to lift the spirits of those working in the Foreign Office by throwing a big summer bash ([link removed]) in the last weeks of his time as foreign secretary.
The now justice secretary and deputy prime minister splashed out almost £50,000 on a reception at Lancaster House. Our investigations guru, Joanna Marchong, gave Lammy a dose of reality ([link removed]) when she told the Daily Mail: “The contrast to the life of luxury lived by many ministers with the desperate situation of businesses and families could not be starker. While politicians are toasting to their failures, family farms are fighting to survive and business owners are working through the night just to keep the lights on following Reeves’ devastating tax raid last autumn."
One rule for you, another rule for them
We all pay our council tax to cover the costs of the services we get from local authorities, after all, having our bins collected does need to be paid for. And the council tax system, as imperfect as it is, does reflect the idea that if your household is consuming fewer services, then you shouldn’t pay as much. We see this with things like the single occupier discount.

In recent years however, more and more councils have been levying second home surcharges, billing homeowners more if their property is empty for a certain period of time. This has often seen bills doubling or even tripling!
But while ordinary taxpayers have to lump this extra charge, it looks like certain politicians prone to telling others how important paying tax is, are billing you for their own properties too ([link removed]) . Ed Miliband, Torsten Bell, and Hilary Benn are among the MPs who have all doubled their council tax expense claims.

John was furious when he heard, branding it: “beyond contempt that many of the same MPs who voted through the policy to allow these additional charges will now be completely shielded from the financial impact of it.” One rule for you…
A crisis of confidence: how government signals are hurting long-term saving
In this week’s blog ([link removed]) , Jonathan takes a look at how the government’s recklessness with the nation's finances and threat of further tax hikes is already driving changes in behaviour that risk hitting the savings of ordinary taxpayers.
With a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from pension funds, Jonathan rightly notes: “Savers are not irrationally panic-stricken; they are responding logically to signals from the government. The more people put aside for their retirement, the more exposed they become to fiscal raids. Yet this approach runs directly counter to the stated policy objective of encouraging long-term saving to reduce reliance on the welfare state.” If people stop saving for themselves, they’ll only become more reliant on the state to bail them out and weak governments like this one will simply hit taxpayers again for even more. A doom loop if there ever was one.
Click to read more ([link removed])
War on Waste
We’re all for councils saving money. Every week we highlight the new and inventive ways local authorities find to squander cash. The latest from our war on waste really takes the biscuit.

In an effort to save money, Somerset council plans to spend £20 million for an external company to tell them how to save money ([link removed]) .

Top tip for anyone at Somerset council, we’ll do it for free.

Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager

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