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A local government think-tank has distanced itself from findings challenging the work of quangos. The New Local Government Network (NLGN) talked down research by the Local Government Association which was highly critical of the powers and spending of quangos. The think-tank said it had not peer-reviewed the research and would not back its findings. A NLGN statement said: ‘While we were asked to comment on the research, this doesn't amount to "peer-reviewing" and we cannot endorse its findings.' The report itself was heavily critical of 11 Government bodies, including Sport England, RDAs, the Environment Agency and Arts Council England. TheLGA claimed quangos gave local people little say over what they did and were failing to provide value for money for the taxpayer. Another part of its attack was that many were closed to the public, had responsibilities which overlapped with other public bodies, yet had steadily increasing budgets. With top pay on the agenda, the report also claimed quangos had a higher proportion of staff on salaries above £100,000 than local government. It rated 11 agencies for value for money, openness and accountability, with Passenger Focus, the rail industry's watchdog, given the lowest rating. The agencies were given a traffic-light rating of red (poor) amber (average) and green (good). It builds on efforts by the LGA to use the Total Place agenda as a way of devolving more power to local authorities. Cllr Margaret Eaton, chairman of the LGA, said: ‘The quangos we looked at in our report all cover work that councils already do. We want to start a debate about how Britain can run things better in these times when all public spending is under intense scrutiny. ‘Councils are elected by local people and run by people who live in the towns and villages they serve. That makes them well placed to make sure people get the very best value.'

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WHITEHALL

NLGN won't join in 'quango-bashing'

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