Should be strangled at birth

How many of them are there, it is difficult to keep track of the new ones? Quangos, those non departmental public bodies of such variety and power, seem to grow like some disease. They dispense Government (taxpayers') money and they regulate and control.

The Government used to publish details of each, but now the annual publication is a very slim volume which reveals little. (So much for a Government dedicated to transparency!)

It seems that these bodies, stuffed with cronies in many cases, employ 95,000 people and cost £31 billion in 2007. Collectively they are a large player on the political and economic stage.

The latest Quango is the Waste Quango. They are often wasteful, but this one is to oversee waste collection. They are to take over the rubbish collection functions of the local authorities. "Pay as you throw" fees will be set by them. The Government intends that local authorities will form groups to take over the functions in their areas.

They will supervise or manage dustcarts, wheelie bins and municipal tips. They will police the behaviour of residents, and hand out fines for any who offend, - wrong bins out, wrong contents, etc. They will be given responsibility for control of littering.

The intention may be a good one, - to try to raise the level of re-cycling, as part of our environmental commitment, but there are worrying elements.

1) Those who control the "Waste Boards" will be appointed by the local councils. They will not therefore be answerable or accountable directly to electors. Rebellions like the "weekly collection" protest, which was probably responsible for a change in political make-up in 30 councils in 2007, will be less effective. The waste bureaucrats will not be subject to electoral change.

2) These unelected bodies will be able to impose and collect taxes or fees, - the first time ever in this country. There will be "taxation without representation ".

3) There is every incentive, as with all bureaucracies, to raise costs (taxes), and to pursue their own objectives. How long would it be before amalgamation and merger is proposed, and even bigger empires are built?