Ditched government projects lost taxpayer £6.6bn last year, watchdog says
Summary
A government report found that cancelled projects wasted £6.6 billion of taxpayer money last year. Key losses came from scrapped plans like the Rwanda deportation scheme and road projects, plus fraud and unpaid debts. The report calls for better management to avoid such waste.Key Facts
- Government departments wrote off £6.6 billion in abandoned projects in one year.
- The Rwanda deportation plan was cancelled by the new Labour government, costing £290 million.
- The Ministry of Defence lost £1.6 billion due to project cancellations and asset retirements.
- The Department for Transport wrote off £472 million after stopping eight road projects, including a tunnel under Stonehenge.
- Unpaid government compensation schemes totaled £73.4 billion, up £11.8 billion from the previous year.
- Fraud and errors led to £9.3 billion in overpayments in the Department for Work and Pensions.
- The report says waste and fraud are avoidable, not just “costs of doing business.”
- The Treasury said it supports cutting projects to protect public finances and will respond to the report soon.
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