SNP accused of 'addiction' to wasting money over quango pay bill

The SNP government has been accused of being “addicted to wasting public money” after an analysis found that the board members of the nation’s quangos are being paid nearly £9 million a year.

The scrutiny by Scottish Labour of official public appointments data indicates that there are up to 836 members on the executive boards of 131 quangos, ranging from well known NHS health boards and executive agencies to little known entities, such as the School Closure Review Panels.

The party’s leader, Anas Sarwar, said the estimated total cost of pay for those board members stood at £8.93m, based on the latest Scottish Government figures. His party’s analysis said that the pay per member varies significantly, with the figures showing that 15 board members are being paid more than £800 per day, with one being paid the equivalent of £2,319 a day.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar | PA

Scotland's 14 health boards ran up the largest bill at £1.8 million a year, prompting criticism from Scottish Labour at a time when public services remain under considerable financial strain.

It follows a series by The Scotsman last year scrutinising Scotland’s network of quangos, which found that more than half of the heads of the organisations boasted higher salaries than government ministers, with several of the salaries higher than the ceiling set by the Scottish Government’s pay strategy framework.

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Mr Sarwar claimed the quasi-autonomous organisations were failing to improve public services and were being used by the SNP to avoid accountability. He has pledged to cut the number of quangos, including health boards, if his party wins the Holyrood election next year.

He said: “Under the SNP, the number of quangos has soared while standards in our public services have plummeted. Public bodies are being used as shields by the SNP government as it attempts to dodge accountability for its failures, and taxpayers are footing the bill.

NHS Lothian spent the most of any health organisation on public relations. Picture: Shutterstock | Shutterstock

“While frontline services were cut to the bone by SNP ministers, millions of pounds of public money was being handed to board members on Scotland's labyrinth of quangos. The SNP's addiction to waste is bad for taxpayers, bad for public services and bad for trust in politics.”

Mr Sarwar added: “A Scottish Labour government will end the SNP's quango culture and cut red tape across government so that public money goes where it is really needed.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The public sector landscape has been streamlined with the reduction in Scottish public bodies under government control from 199 in 2007 to the current 131.

“Public bodies have a vital role in delivering the Scottish Government's objectives and are key in areas such as health services, administering the justice system and supporting sustainable economic growth.

“The Scottish Government is working to ensure public services are sustainable, efficient and effective. Work in this area is projected to save up to £280m by the end of 2024/25. Ministers have also committed to a new invest to save fund of around £30m to generate savings and improve frontline service delivery.”