The blob: Inside the ‘arm’s-length bodies’ taking over government

Governments of different parties have pledged to reduce the influence of quangos, or arm’s-length bodies, but at least 15 have been created since 2024. The article argues that without a clear plan, these bodies can shape policy and add costs while remaining difficult for elected politicians to control.

A Policy Exchange project is reviewing bodies sponsored by the education and environment departments, asking whether their work is needed, requires independence and is best delivered through an arm’s-length body. The article cites estimates that Natural England advice delayed at least 100,000 homes, a £100 million bat tunnel for HS2 and £700 million of fish-deterrent equipment at Hinkley Point C. Estimates of the number of public bodies range from 307 to around 500; across six large bodies, staff numbers rose by a third between 2014-15 and the period a decade later.