A report said that unelected quangos gave local people little say over what they did, and some were failing to provide value for money for the taxpayer. Many quangos were closed to the public, and had responsibilities that overlapped with other public bodies.
Source: Who's in Charge? The quango report cards, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report | LGA press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs said that there should be a mechanism by which evidence that the government had misled Parliament or the public, or failed to act on concerns that had be raised, could be investigated and reported to Parliament. There should be accessible, effective, and visible channels by which civil servants of all grades could raise genuine concerns about the conduct of government.
Source: Leaks and Whistleblowing in Whitehall, Tenth Report (Session 2008-09), HC 83, House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Aug
An article (by the Parliamentary Ombudsman) said that the principles of deliberative democracy, human rights, and restorative justice combined to make the Ombudsman an effective instrument for 'humanizing the bureaucracy', as first envisaged when the office was created in 1967.
Source: Ann Abraham, 'Good administration: why we need it more than ever', Political Quarterly, Volume 80 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Mar