UK government gets criticized on overspending on website makeover

(MENAFN) The British government is facing sharp criticism over the high cost of a website redesign, which reports say amounted to approximately £532,000 (over $700,000), despite only delivering minimal visual changes.

The revamp, handled by international advertising firm M&C Saatchi, primarily involved altering the color of the website's header from black to blue. Additionally, the government’s logo saw slight adjustments, with the dot in “gov.uk” repositioned and turned turquoise.

Many have labeled the spending excessive and an example of poor fiscal responsibility, especially in light of the government’s stated commitment to cost-saving measures. Detractors argue the changes do not justify the hefty price tag and reflect a broader trend of wasteful public spending.

Zia Yusuf, who leads Reform UK’s newly established efficiency task force, described the spending as “a joke.”

“The disrespect for taxpayers’ money continues to be astounding. Spending more than £500,000 on changing a logo on a government website is a joke at the taxpayer’s expense, quite literally,” he said, adding that this type of spending “is just the kind of thing we have been uncovering in county halls on a daily basis.”

In response to the backlash, the government has defended the project, stating that the updates were part of a more extensive “brand refresh” across multiple departmental websites. Officials also distanced the current administration from the decision, indicating that the expensive contract had been approved under the previous leadership.

“This was committed to by the previous government, with two of the three contracts signed and delivered by July 2024,” a government spokesperson told media outlets.

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