The government plans to scrap 150 quangos as part of its reform of arm’s length bodies, announced in today’s Budget.
Liam Byrne, chief secretary to the Treasury, revealed that the government would cut 20% of the UK’s quangos by 2012-13 in a bid to save up to £500m a year in public spending.
The announcement is the result of a review of arm’s length bodies that was launch in the summer of 2009 as part of the public value programme. Among the recommendations made in the final report, Reforming Arm’s Lengh Bodies, …

The Treasury wants Regional Development Agencies and the Homes and Communities Agency to share offices in one area in a bid to save money.
Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Budget 2010 outlines proposals to save £255m from 2012-13 by making the HCA, RDAs and government departments share offices in a particular region.
It says this will simplify regional government as part of a drive to increase its overall power, through giving regional ministers extra responsibilities.
These will include allowing them to decide where funding goes, and giving them a greater role in promoting regional growth.
The …

The government has announced £64.4m to be split between the UK’s regional development agencies to help fund infrastructure and regeneration schemes.
Today, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published an action plan that it said would help support economic recovery and create jobs. Business secretary Lord Mandelson said RDAs are “by far the best way for government to secure future economic growth”.
“For every £1 the RDA spend, around £4.50 is put back into their region’s economy. Over the past decade, this spending has created more than 850,000 jobs, helped start …