Sep 15 2025.Embargoed: 19:00 Sunday 14th September 2025.
- 438 quangos received £376 billion in government funding
- in 2023-24, on top of £36 billion in non-governmental income.
- Quangos are now responsible for almost one in every three
- pounds of government spending, or £391 billion and employ
- almost 500,000 staff, more than the population of Cardiff.
- Reform UK deputy leader calls findings “explosive” and
- commits to “slashing the bloated public sector.”
The TaxPayers’ Alliance has branded Britain’s 438 quangos
as the “Ministry of Quangos”, after our new quango database
revealed that these bodies cost taxpayers nearly £400 billion in
2023-24, and employed almost half a million staff.
Following the latest Labour cabinet reshuffle, the names on the
doors have changed, but nearly one third of government spending
remains outside day-to-day ministerial control. In 2023-24, quangos
accounted for £391 billion in public expenditure out of total
government spending of over £1.2 trillion. Reform UK’s deputy
leader, Richard Tice MP, called the findings “explosive” and committed
to “slashing the bloated public sector.”
Funding for quangos comes primarily from taxpayers, but
quangos also receive additional income from fees and levies.
Of a total income of £412 billion, £376 billion is government-funded.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) sponsored
41 quangos in 2023-24, making it the government department
responsible for the most quangos in Whitehall.
The soon-to-be abolished NHS England received £175 billion in
government funding, making it the most expensive quango. It also
received the most in non-government income at £5.9 billion. This is
followed by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, which received
£72.3 billion in government funding and HM Revenue & Customs, which
received £41 billion.
Tony Blair was 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.
As part of its “Britain’s Quangos Uncovered” campaign, the TPA will
, over the coming weeks, be releasing our Quango Briefing Room
which consists of extended research notes on the largest quangos
by expenditure.
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