Citizen Juries - the money trail
Guido has been banging on about Deborah Mattinson Gordon's helpful private pollster, for some time - September 6, 2007...Organising "Citizen's Juries" has made Gordon's pollster, Deborah Mattinson, a lot of money over the years. Amazingly they have now become a key Gordon Brown government policy. Who, Guido wonders, will get paid all those fat fees for organising what are jumped up focus groups?
Today a few figures and the burning questions asked are revealed:
Government spends millions on citizens' juries - Telegraph
The polls were conducted in locations around the country, often in the presence of a Government minister. In many cases, they were carried out by Opinion Leader Research (OLR), a polling group set up by a close friend of the Prime Minister who now works for the Labour Party.
Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, is a particular champion of the concept, and his department has spent nearly £850,000 to consult 500 people about how to teach and look after children.
Hazel Blears, the Local Government Secretary, presided over the spending of £70,000 to ask 35 people their thoughts on building community cohesion through the teaching of English.
Hilary Benn's Environment department spent £20,000 asking 15 Devonians about water pollution and the role of livestock farming.