The Government splashed a total of £73,724.45 on the Matthew Taylor report on Modern Employment Practices, Gorilla Accounting uncovers.
Theresa May appointed Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), to chair a report into workers’ rights and employment practices, largely geared towards the self-employed in October 2016.
The ‘overlooked’ report arrived with much publicity, but the recommendations made in the report have been criticised for being too vague, bringing into question the value for money.
Figures obtained by Gorilla Accounting through a Freedom of Information request (FoI) show the full scale of costs which were paid for by taxpayers:
– The RSA were paid £50,850.00 to compensate for the time Matthew Taylor spent working on the Review whilst in their full-time employment.
– A cost of £10,181.83 was spent by the Government on public regional events used to publicise the review, including venue hire and refreshments.
– A total of £10,557.04 was spent on designing, printing and publishing the final report.
– The Review chair and panel members spent £2135.58 in total for travel and expenses.
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy confirmed that they are unable to provide costs for extra staff, such as officials, lawyers, and analysts who contributed towards policy development.
Daniel Fallows, Director of Gorilla Accounting, said, “The Taylor Review was widely renowned for not hitting the mark, but it is a step in the right direction as it paves the way forward for the self-employed, bringing key issues to light.”
The full article can be found on Contractor UK which draws the conclusion that the RSA ‘pocketed £5,500 for each month their chief executive was absent. ‘ For the full FoI response, please get in touch by emailing henna.sheth@gorillaaccounting.com.
The Taylor Report – Dependent Contractor
The main recommendations made by the Taylor Report, officially titled ‘Good Work: The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices’, recommends that the term ‘worker’ should be changed to ‘dependent contractor’. This is to create a clearer boundary between the genuinely self-employed and dependent contractors (workers).
Auto-Enrolment Pensions Scheme
Taylor calls on Government to explore auto-enrolment for the self-employed to help them save up for retirement. The comprehensive proposal made by pension giants, Royal London and Aviva, came just weeks before the Matthew Taylor report was released.
The recommendations made by Matthew Taylor are yet to be approved but Theresa May welcomed the report stating that it reinforces the British model of working.
The full report round-up can be found here.
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