Costly Contracts

The latest costly government contract to emerge is the one put in place by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) - would you believe.

Apparently the EHRC paid £254,800 last year - for the services of a chap called Richard Emmott whose official title is - interim group director of engagement and intelligence.

But Emmott is not on the commission’s payroll - because he is paid instead via a recruitment firm and his own private company.

The presumtion being that these arrangments allow Richard Emmott to lawfully reduce his tax bill - which defies common sense - but has been a widespread practice in parts of the public sector for years.

Lots of people are at it - so it seems - and this time it's not the bankers who are to blame.

Just last week the head of the UK Student Loans Company - was found to be operating a similar arrangement.

The government was outraged at first - but then unsure if it would cost the public purse more in penalty clauses - to end the current arrangement - as opposed to just letting things run their course.

Sounds to me like the same cavalier attitude towards public money - that existed over the last government's decision that Britain should build two new aircraft carriers - which are completely unnecessary of course.

White Elephants in fact.

Which are costing the country billion of pounds to build - but would cost much more to cancel - because of the punitive penalty clauses writtten into the contract.

What I'd like to know is why our politicians are keen for everyone else to be held to account for their past actions and stupid decisions?

Yet the same standard seems not to apply - to politicians themselves.