Government accused of wasting millions on public consultations that 'go nowhere'
2 min read
Ministers have been accused of spending millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on public consultations which fail to lead to any new policies.
An investigation by The Times has revealed that the Government has commissioned more than 1,600 of the exercises since the 2015 general election.
They are aimed at getting the views of ordinary people on potential policies before ministers decide whether to proceed with them.
But more than 500 of the information-gathering exercises have still not been completed, with 202 of those having been started more than two years ago.
They include one which was launched by Sajid Javid when he was Business Secretary into whether restaurants should be banned from taking waiters' tips.
Another launched by the same minister looked at plans to allow homeowners to switch mortgage deals within seven days "to get the best deals".
They are among hundreds which are listed on the Government's website next to the message: "We are analysing your feedback."
Each public consultation is estimated to cost the public purse around £40,000, putting the total bill for all those launched since 2015 at around £66 million.
Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, chair of the Public Administration Committee, told The Times: "There are many pieces of work that are going too slowly. It is important that we know if the Government cannot contain its current workload. The Government should be more open about what it is prioritising."
Andrew Haldenby, director of the Reform think tank, said: "Consultations that go nowhere waste the time not only of government officials but the many businesses and individuals that respond to them. Efficient government is realistic about the amount of work it can undertake and able to make decisions.”
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said: "Theresa May is the do-nothing prime minister running a zombie parliament. These endless reviews and consultations are a huge waste of time and money. We need a government that will act now, on the crisis in our NHS, our schools and social care, instead of kicking things into the long grass."
But a Cabinet Office spokesman said: "It is right that the public and other stakeholders should be involved in the policy-making process. Public consultations are an essential tool for developing government policy that works for the ordinary citizen."
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
