Public sick of large charities wasting money, MPs hear

28 Nov 2012 News

The public is sick of large charities frittering away money and of being harassed by chuggers, Christopher Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs told the Public Administration Select Committee yesterday.

The public is sick of large charities frittering away money and of being harassed by chuggers, Christopher Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs told the Public Administration Select Committee yesterday.

Snowdon, a research fellow at the Institute, was giving evidence to the PASC as part of its inquiry into charity regulation. 

Snowdon said people were aware of an “enormous disparity with the richest one per cent of charities getting two-thirds of money in the sector”.

“Anyone who’s worked in large charities or knows someone who has thinks that the money is rather frittered away,” he said.

Snowdon also told MPs that he sensed people were sick of being harassed by chuggers, saying it was something that needed to be looked at. Later in the session Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke suggested that chugging should be “stamped out by Parliament” calling it an "infestation of modern life".

Snowdon, who earlier this year wrote a report on lobbying called Sock Puppets: How the government lobbies itself and why, also told MPs that it was wrong for charities to get government grants to lobby the government itself or the public.

“I sense that the public are getting a little frustrated that every time there is a move to raise taxes or restrict liberties some enormous charity is doing the legwork with media, adverts and Parliamentary briefings,” he said.

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