The story in The Times today about the row over which departments are stumping up the cash for the recently announced £1.57bn social housing programme suggests that Whitehall is in chaos at the moment. One official tells the paper, “I have never known an announcement like this where money is so off the wall.”
These two quotes give you a sense of the total confusion over the funding of this initiative, which is supposed to be key to the government’s relaunch:
“But the Home Office categorically denied that it would be providing £90 million — the new Treasury figure — having been told that it would have to find less than £50 million. “As far as we are concerned we are finding less than half that amount,” a Home Office source said.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in