Taxpayers are forking out £6billion on “nonsense” analysis initiatives regardless of a pledge to crack down on authorities waste, evaluation exhibits.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed to squeeze out wasteful spending utilizing an “iron fist” on Tuesday because the Treasury works on a sweeping spending evaluate to be revealed subsequent yr.
Whitehall departments have every been tasked with discovering 5% value of financial savings so spending can deal with the Government’s priorities.
But an enormous quantity of public cash is being spent on analysis initiatives. They embody £200,000 on a examine into the environmental impression of Star Wars, £1.7million on a examine of literary decolonisation in Africa, nearly £40,000 in direction of learning queer cinema and the LGBT+ motion in China and £240,000 on cultural entrepreneurship in vegan meat markets.
The Taxpayers’ Alliance evaluation additionally exhibits the sum of money spent on such initiatives has rocketed by 25% during the last 4 years.
Campaigners are calling for Ms Reeves to take her “iron fist” to the Science Department’s monetary backing of sure analysis initiatives in academia.
The Government quango, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has dished out £6bn in grants to universities this yr alone, in line with the Telegraph.
Taxpayers’ Alliance’s investigations marketing campaign supervisor, Joanna Marchong, stated taxpayers will start to query the worth of UKRI and its analysis initiatives.
She informed the publication: “UKRI has received bigger budgets year on year in hopes of fuelling cutting-edge research and innovative technologies, but instead, they have wasted millions of pounds on nonsense projects.”
Ms Marchong added that if analysis budgets proceed to broaden, ministers should guarantee they’re allotted to efficient initiatives and deal with “worthwhile project outcomes”.
A spokesman for UKRI stated: “From blue skies research to business-led innovation, UKRI’s dynamic portfolio of investments underpins the UK’s world-class research and innovation system.
“The analysis we fund helps drive sustainable financial development, creates high-quality jobs, and improves public companies for individuals throughout the UK.”
He added that UKRI invests in a diverse research and innovation portfolio, with decisions to fund research projects made via a rigorous peer review process by independent experts from across academia and business.
Ms Reeves claimed on Tuesday that the previous government allowed millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to go to waste on poor-value-for-money projects.
She added: “We is not going to tolerate it. I stated I’d have an iron grip on the general public funds and which means taking an iron fist in opposition to waste.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1988760/taxpayers-paying-nonsense-research-government