A quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation (quango) is a body set up to perform a function of government while operating at arm’s length from ministers and departments. Quangos sit in a unique position between the public and private sectors. They are often granted statutory powers but are not directly accountable to the public in the way that elected officials are. In theory, this independence allows them to operate with greater flexibility, recruit specialised staff and deliver services more efficiently than core civil service departments might.
In some cases, quangos offer real value to government and taxpayers alike. They can deliver administrative services more efficiently, such as Companies House’s role in managing corporate information, and provide expert advice on niche or technical issues where civil servants may lack detailed knowledge, thereby freeing up ministerial time. Their relative autonomy can also help depoliticise sensitive decisions, allowing for long-term thinking insulated from ministerial churn.
However, the landscape of quangos has changed. They are becoming more numerous, more expansive in scope and in some cases, more powerful than ever before. With this growth comes a risk: that the proper roles and responsibilities of elected ministers are being delegated to unelected and largely unaccountable bureaucracies. While quangos may operate at arm’s length, they are still funded, directly or indirectly, by taxpayers and businesses. The public therefore has a right to scrutinise how these organisations operate and how they reward their senior staff.
Concerns over the growth and accountability of quangos are not only academic. The current Labour government plans to create or overhaul at least 17 of these public bodies.[1] While some may address genuine gaps in public service delivery, the volume raises questions about duplication, mission creep and whether government is outsourcing policy-making by stealth. Without proper oversight from their inception, quangos can become vehicles for pet projects, political patronage or ideological experiments, all using public funds.
One area that deserves particular attention relating to quangos is remuneration. The public rightly expects that salaries paid out of public funds are justified by performance and value for money. While competitive pay may be necessary to attract talent, especially from the private sector, excessive salaries risk undermining public trust, particularly when household budgets are stretched, and the tax burden is set to rise to a record high.[2]
This note examines the number of staff at quangos who received over £100,000 in total remuneration in 2023-24. While not all these organisations are directly funded by taxpayers, all are listed in the government’s official register of departments, agencies and public bodies. This research aims to promote transparency and accountability, and to inform the debate about the proper size, scope and cost of the modern state.
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Key findings
- At least 1,472 quango staff received over £100,000 in total remuneration (comprising salary, expenses, benefits, bonuses, compensation for loss of office and pension benefits or contributions) in 2023-24.
- In 2023-24, at least 343 quango staff received more than £200,000 in total remuneration.
- There were 315 quango staff in 2023-24 who received a higher salary, as opposed to total remuneration, than the £172,153 salary entitlement of the prime minister.[3]
- A total of 94 quangos did not provide accounts for 2023-24.
- In 2023-24, the quango with the most staff receiving at least £100,000 in total remuneration was Homes England, which had 111.
- The BBC and National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) had the second and third largest numbers of staff receiving in excess of £100,000 with 90 and 56.
- A total of 33 quangos had at least 10 staff receiving more than £100,000 in total remuneration.
- Channel 4 had the staff member with the highest salary in 2023-24, with its chief executive, Alex Mahon, receiving £619,000. This is almost four times greater than the prime minister’s salary entitlement.
- The largest loss of office payment was given to the executive director, enforcement, at the Competition and Markets Authority, Michael Grenfell, who received a payment of £157,500 in 2023-24.
- At least 26 quango staff received a bonus greater than average earnings in the UK.[4] Of these, five quango employees received a bonus more than £100,000 in 2023-24.
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[1] Mason, R., Labour’s new public bodies are likely to come at a high cost, thinktank finds, The Guardian, 21 November 2024.
[2] Office for Budget Responsibility, Public finances databank – March 2025, 26 March 2025, obr.uk/data/, (accessed 1
April 2025).
[3] Edgington, T, & Clarke, J., What does the prime minister do and how much are they paid?, BBC, 10 July 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48497953, (accessed 15 April 2025).
[4] Office for National Statistics, Employee earnings in the UK: 2024, 29 October 2024,
oursandearnings/2024, (accessed 16 April 2025).