Max Booth

We’re less than a week into the Spectator Project Against Frivolous Funding, and Spaff has already shone a light on hundreds of examples of government waste. So far, we’ve mostly focused on central government – and, no doubt, council officers throughout Britain have rejoiced at being left untouched by our watchful eye.  But no more. I’ve been looking at how some of Britain’s biggest councils have been spending their constituents’ cash. Here are some of my findings. The first thing that shocked me is the sheer amount of money spent by local authorities on taxis – in large part for ferrying children to and from school each day. I’ll start with a particularly shocking figure: Birmingham’s bankrupt city council has spent almost £14.

The Spectator Project Against Frivolous Funding, or Spaff, has been launched this week to shine a light on government waste. To help track down examples of frivolous spending, The Spectator has created a search engine that allows anyone to look at government transactions, foreign aid projects and procurement contracts all in one place for the first time. If you’re like me, and your eyes light up at the idea of rooting out government profligacy, the search engine is a treat. Here’s what I’ve found so far: Let’s start with the Arts Council, which has burnt through a tremendous amount of taxpayer cash.