2010 UK quango reforms

Following the 2010 United Kingdom general election, the UK Government under the Cameron–Clegg coalition

announced plans to curb public spending through the abolition of a large number of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations (quangos). This was styled in the national press as a "bonfire of the quangos",{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11536323 | title=Politicians' love/hate relationship with quangos | author=Parkinson, Justin | work=BBC News | date=14 October 2010 | accessdate=15 October 2010| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101017023421/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11536323| archivedate= 17 October 2010 | url-status= live}} making reference to Girolamo Savonarola's religiously inspired Bonfire of the Vanities ("falò delle vanità").{{cite web | url=http://www.alexanderamatosi.com/politics/2010/9/8/bonfire-of-the-quangos.html | title=Bonfire of the quangos | author=Amatosi, Alexander | date=8 September 2010 | accessdate=15 October 2010 | archive-date=7 July 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707104609/http://www.alexanderamatosi.com/politics/2010/9/8/bonfire-of-the-quangos.html | url-status=dead }}{{unreliable source?|date=October 2010}}

On 23 May 2010, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne unveiled a £500 million plan to reduce the budget deficit by abolishing or merging many quangos. The cuts and closures received criticism in some quarters,{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8022487/Quango-cuts-backlash-begins.html | title=Quango cuts: backlash begins | author=Porter, Andrew | work=The Daily Telegraph| date=23 September 2010 | accessdate=15 October 2010| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101027212531/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8022487/Quango-cuts-backlash-begins.html| archivedate= 27 October 2010 | url-status= dead}} but was generally welcomed by the business community.{{cite web | url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23887907-business-rejoices-at-governments-cull-of-quangos.do | title=Businesses rejoice as Whitehall starts the cull of quangos | work=London Evening Standard | date=14 October 1010 | accessdate=15 October 2010 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022060623/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23887907-business-rejoices-at-governments-cull-of-quangos.do | archivedate=22 October 2010 | url-status=dead}} A decade later in 2021, the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee claimed in a report that the reforms “failed to spark” and that the Cabinet Office has “not been enforcing the code for public appointments”.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityam.com/report-george-osbornes-bonfire-of-the-quangos-has-failed-to-spark/|title=Report: George Osborne's 'bonfire of the quangos' has 'failed to spark'|date=23 September 2021|website=CityAM}}

Categorisation of reform

On 14 October 2010, the government released a document Public Bodies Reform – Proposals for Change outlining plans for each quango. The document broadly classified each quango into one of four groups:{{cite web|url=http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_191543.pdf |title=Public Bodies Reform – Proposals for Change |work=UK Government |date=15 October 1010 |accessdate=15 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112132526/http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/%40dg/%40en/documents/digitalasset/dg_191543.pdf |archivedate=12 January 2012 }}

;Retain : the government thought it expedient to retain the organisation

; Merge: the organisation would be merged with another organ of state or its function could be replicated by a third sector organisation

; Abolish : the organisation would be abolished

;Under consideration : firm plans were not drawn up for organisations in this category, but deadlines were set for complete consideration.

The document also contained a description of which ministry of state or government department the organisation was part of.

Quangos to be abolished

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The Cabinet Office

The Department for Communities and Local Government

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The Department of Energy and Climate Change

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Department for Education

Teachers TV Board of Governors

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The Ministry of Justice

The Department for Transport

Railway Heritage Committee

Quangos to be abolished with reservations

Some or all functions of these quangos was to be transferred to civil service, local government, other quangos, expert committees, charity or the private sector.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills