Two years since Rhodri's ‘bonfire’ - Was it all worth it?
This blog is always eager to report and share its opinion on what's regarded as the reckless abolition of Welsh quangos, in what was seen at the time as a 'personal vendetta' by Rhodri Morgan; and the ups-and-downs in the Welsh Assembly Government civil service.
The latest news in the Western Mail raises concerns - again - regarding wasted millions in surplus staff that were made by Alun Cairns AM back in October 2007 . It is that nearly two and a half years after a trio of quangos were “merged” with the Assembly Government, 89 members of staff have still not been allocated permanent jobs.
Last night politicians said it was “ludicrous” that nobody had been made redundant as a result of the mergers.
The Welsh Development Agency, the Wales Tourist Board and the training body Elwa were abolished in April 2006 in Rhodri Morgan’s “Bonfire of the Quangos”.
Around 1,600 people were working for the three bodies at the time the mergers were announced in 2004, but an agreement was reached with unions that compulsory redundancies were to be avoided.
That led to the setting up of a “Central Postings Pool” for displaced former quango employees who had yet to be found a permanent role within the Assembly Government.
It has now emerged that this week there were 89 people still in the pool – although officials were quick to point out that people were coming into and leaving the pool all the time.
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6 comments:
And to prove Labour hasn't got a monopoly on ropey economic development policies: David Cameron has been hinting that he'd like to get rid of some of the English RDAs 'piece by piece'.
Quality rather than quantity.
Too much quango is just a waist of money.
it only need s a small band of bright individuals to steer the ship.
I just hope 'people' take their shoes off before entering the pool.
yes it was. I like labour.
shows how misleading press reports can be this. very diappointing.
the pool is used for all staff when posts end, or people don't want to move to new locations - seems very sensible to me. none of the 89 have been ther for two years. The WDA undertook redundancies prior to the merger which was a bit naughty, and there has been one redundancy package since, with rumour of another on the way. As for Caitns talking about public money, with this weeks revelations has he got any right?
Perhaps Leighton Andrews could employ some of them? Must be better than his current staff...
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