By Vivienne Russell | 11 February 2014
Government plans to scrap more than 300 public bodies have made good progress and saved more than £700m in administrative spending, according to the National Audit Office.
The Public Bodies Reform Programme represents a major simplification of the public bodies landscape, with 306 organisations set to disappear through either abolition or merger.
By December 2013, 93% of the planned abolitions or mergers had been completed, the NAO found, while administrative spending reductions have been ‘substantial’, with £723m saved in 2012/13 compared with 2010/11.
But it criticised the system of triennial reviews set up to attempt to maintain momentum on reform. These have tended to shy away from making explicit recommendations for saving money or improving governance, the NAO said.
Auditor general Amyas Morse said: ‘The Public Bodies Reform Programme is making good progress in simplifying the public bodies landscape. A large number of public bodies have been abolished or merged and cuts in administrative spending have been substantial.
‘It will be important to maintain the momentum of reform, and doing this will require the triennial review programme to be much more effective than it has been so far.’
