Shelter, which routinely criticises lettings agents and landlords, has been slammed for the huge amount of public funding it receives - while at the same time criticising the public sector for various policies.
The Taxpayers Alliance says the UK has a wealth of organisations operating to influence policy: some, it says, like the Alliance itself and eco group Greenpeace, rely entirely on private donations but others, like Shelter, get substantial public funding.
It says that between 2017 and 2019 Shelter received £15,204,000 in public money from multiple local authorities, government departments, public bodies and the London Councils organisation.
This sum is a large chunk of the £39,584,171 identified by the Taxpayers Alliance for over 20 organisations - including Shelter - which are recipients of public cash.
The Alliance claims that this “taxpayer funding of lobbying and political campaigning” has a number of negative effects including:
- distorting decision making in favour of the interests and ideological preoccupations of a narrow political elite;
- slowing adjustments in the direction of policy in reaction to new evidence or circumstances;
- increasing political apathy among the public;
- obliging taxpayers to fund views they may seriously disagree with.
The Taxpayers’ Alliance is hugely critical of such organisations and you can see its entire report on the subject here.
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About time, recent government policy has been to take everything Shelter says without question, Tenants fees ban, End of Section 21, great shame ARLA, the RICS etc are so poorly led that they didn't stick up for agents more.
That's it! Time to right to your MPs and make a fuss, I admit to being a mug and being unaware we are funding this disgrace of an organisation. How dare they use our funds for this politically motivated scare mongering bunch of hypocrites. I suppose Dame Neate would be a give away which side of government favour the role of Housing. I provide more shelter than shelter the charity that houses nobody.
That's it! Time to right to your MPs ………… Damn spell check didn't tell you the spelling of the word write!
Try proof reading before hitting the send button.
I think if we had a housing minister that lasted more than a year then they might realise that outsourcing housing policy to Shelter is the reason why we have a housing crisis.
Shelter aren't a Charity they are a QUANGO.
It's an absolute disgrace, but no surprise at all, that a highly political left-wing lobbying organisation, masquerading as a charity to support homeless people, should be funded at all- let alone to this extent - by various different public bodies.
A pity organisations like ARLA and the NLA - that are supposed to be representing us and our rights and sector - are all apparently so weak, complacent or actually pliant that instead of quietly allowing (even to an extent condoning) this, they haven't been endlessly making a huge fuss about it for years now - because that's how long this has been going on unchecked, unopposed and unchallenged.
Why hasn't this (and related topics) been kept in the mainstream daily news and glare of public scrutiny for years? When will the likes of ARLA, the NLA, the RLA, UKALA etc start to actually/genuinely represent, champion and defend us?
Unfortunately the likes of Shelter are the Govt's very useful idiots.
It enables Govt to remain electorally compelling when it affirms the negativity towards the PRS that is generally espoused by the PTB.
Govt doesn't have to get directly involved until Shelter etc have done the heavy lifting.
Then Govt can come charging in as a saviour agreeing with Shelter etc.
Then the vast majority of the electorate thinks Govt is great!
There seemingly remains no effective articulate response to Shelter propaganda and no matter what one might think about the likes of Shelter and GR you have to hand it to them as to the success of their very effective propaganda.
The PRS has never really seriously shown up to rebut the vile propaganda that Shelter and GR come out with.
The BBC also propagandises an anti -LL
policy.
Substantial numbers of the population including LL are forced to pay for this vile BBC propaganda courtesy of the TV Licence fee!!
I have suggested that if EVERY LL joined the new NRLA and paid just £1 pm that would bring in about £2 million to NRLA coffers monthly.
I would suggest that with such considerable monthly subscription income that this would provide more than sufficient resources to create an effective propaganda programme to combat the vile Shelter etc propaganda.
But trying to encourage all LL to join NRLA for £1 pm is akin to herding cats!!
Therefore unfortunately it will NEVER happen!
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