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Manchester 'under-represented on quangos'

15/02/2008

Manchester is under-represented on public-spending bodies or quasi-autonomous non-government organisations (quangos) as measured by board membership, a new report has found.

Also under-represented are Liverpool and Birmingham, according to the New Local Government Network, which produced the study.

Only five per cent of board members are from the north-west, compared with half of all board members who live in London and the south-east.

The report said there is no justifiable reason why some parts of the country such as Manchester do not have adequate representation.

Commenting on the figures, Lib Dem communities spokeswoman Julia Goldsworthy said: "Decisions affecting local communities should be taken as close to those communities as possible, not remotely from London.

"The government must get serious about devolution and give more power to local areas."

Public spending bodies are responsible for spending more than £123 billion a year, which is just over a fifth of taxpayers' money.