Jenny Watson is a board member of the Audit Commission, but not for long, as Eric Pickles has decided to dispense with her services. The Audit Commission, which is being axed in 2012, wrote to Mr Pickles saying Miss Watson would like to carry on in her role until then. Obviously Mr Pickles disagrees.
Ms Watson is blamed for the shambles on election night and will surely not miss her £14,000 pocket money as she receives £100,000 a year as head of the elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission and has a little more pocket money, precisely £14,000 from attending a few meetings a year as a member of the wheelie bin quango WRAP.
Let's hope her position at the Electoral Commission is given some speedy scrutiny. As we know the Electoral Commission is a classic New Labour job creation scheme which Blair set up when he took removed powers from local authorities. It now employs no fewer than 156 full-time staff. Small wonder that its cost has soared from £7.6 million in 2001 to £24 million, yet its head refuses to take responsibility for the fiasco in May.
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