An Independent Voice of Great Britain
State & Power
Civil service accountability, quango spending, and political overreach.
Local government reports hail a 96.8% council tax collection rate. But per-capita data shows bailiff referrals against working households rose 29%, while local authority reserves reached a record £28.4 billion.
Treasury guidance boasts of capping direct department management consultancy fees. But FOI releases show arm's-length quango consultancy spending rose 26% to £840 million.
Home Office press releases claim 100% maritime patrol coverage in the English Channel. But vessel logbooks disclose 4 out of 11 Border Force cutters spent over 140 days in drydock.
The Office for National Statistics has confirmed it: UK state spending hit a record £1.22 trillion in the last financial year. That is the headline, the one the Treasury wants you to see.
According to the latest Cabinet Office transparency data, fewer than 2% of all civil service decisions taken in the last financial year required formal ministerial sign-off. That is the official figure, and it is technically correct.
Official figures from the Charity Commission show that 247 statutory inquiries were opened into registered charities in the 2023-24 financial year.
Official figures from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) reveal that 68% of government major projects are now rated either 'amber' or 'red' for delivery confidence—the worst performance since records began in 2016.