Following on from her report into the Jersey Innovation Fund, ahem,
“situation”, the Comptroller and Auditor General has now reported more broadly
on the government’s relationship with States-funded bodies.
As readers will know, States-funded bodies operate at “arm’s
length” from the government, purportedly running their own affairs but receiving
government money to do so; last year, £38m
was handed over to such “arm’s length organisations” (ALOs). A happy wheeze that also keeps ministers at
“arm’s length” from being accountable for
public money.
Unfortunately for the government, the latest report concludes that
ALOs aren’t being overseen properly and management arrangements are consistently
“not fit for purpose”. Amongst the other ball-breaking criticisms, the report
finds that:
- there are no clear review policies;
- there are no guidelines on the number of board members or how
much they should be paid; and
- formal arrangements for governance and oversight are patchier
than Les Quennevais School’s roof.
Given that public money pays for organisations such as Jersey Heritage, Visit Jersey and Digital
Jersey, the government might like to know if it’s being spent effectively. Luckily for ALOs, having “Jersey” rather
than “Department” in the name means they can merrily hose themselves in
taxpayers’ money. Open season!
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