Bonfire of the Quangos

Tomorrow is supposed to be announcement day for a number of non-governmental bodies - possibly including my old haunt the EST. There's been much talk of the domestic advice remit going elsewhere - thereby really cutting into the Trust's core business. Already the funding from DECC has been severely cut back (and decision-making from that estwhile body while I was still at the Trust was painfully slow, thus making the management of a meaninful service really difficult). There has been chatter about an EST/CT/Ofgem threesome - something of a dog's breakfast I think - but it could still be on the cards. It rather depends upon how HMG wants to play things. With both EST and CT being essentially independent bodies one likely scenario is simply that funding is cut massively (even completely - think of the Sustainable Development Commission). Some insiders suggest that EST will have one more year to pave the way for the Green Deal - and that will be at a much reduced cash settlement such that the contribution from the Scottish Government next year could exceed that of DECC. What price a move of HQ to Edinburgh?