Monday 26 March 2012

Passenger Focus - Qui custodiet ipsos custodes?

This from the Metro...

Anthony Smith’s salary as chief executive of Passenger Focus has risen from £95,000 in 2008 to £122,000 last year.

Despite claiming to be independent, the bulk of Passenger Focus’s £6.4million budget last year came from Ms Greening’s department...

Mr Smith denied being influenced by the Department for Transport.

‘At no time during our sponsorship by DfT have they ever tried to control what we do or say,’ he told Metro.

So that's all right then.

In other news the DfT denied micro-managing the railways.

UPDATE: This from a Mr Fieldmouse...

I remember a time when Passenger Focus’ predecessor was sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry to avoid precisely this apparent conflict of interest.