The government's new value for money chief has led several major projects that have gone way over budget.
David Goldstone previously worked as a senior executive on the London Olympics, the restoration of Parliament and the HS2 high-speed train.
He will now lead the government's new Office for Value for Money (OfVM), advising Chancellor Rachel Reeves on “how to eliminate waste and inefficiency”, according to the Treasury.
Downing Street defended his appointment, saying Mr Goldstone is a “highly experienced public sector leader” with “experience of working on complex, high-value programmes”.
Asked if it represented good value for money, a Number 10 spokeswoman said “yes”.
Reeves announced his appointment saying it was “vital that we improve efficiency and cut wasteful spending” and that his role would “help us reap the benefits of every euro of public spending”.
However, in response to the budget on Wednesday, UK Reform leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage said Mr Goldstone had “served for many years on the board of HS2, which I think is everything the complete opposite of value for money.
The resurrected high-speed rail project, HS2, had an initial budget of £38 billion in 2009, but is now expected to cost at least double that.
Mr Goldstone's LinkedIn page lists a position on the HS2 board from January to June 2012, and again from 2024, where he is appointed by the Treasury, although he does not appear to have been in office in the meantime.
He was director of finance and programs for the government's Olympic executive, organizing the 2012 London Olympics which cost three times more than expected, at £9 billion.
Mr Goldstone was also chief executive of the Parliament Restoration and Renewal project and was criticized by MPs last year for receiving a £168,000 bonus, despite delays costing around £100m a year in maintenance costs.
Speaking to LBC, Conservative Party leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch said there should be no need to set up an office to determine value for money.
She said: “We are constantly trying to solve problems with more quangos, more bureaucrats, more politicians. This is not how we manage to generate growth.
“We should be able to determine value for money within the civil service itself.
“If they can’t do it, then I’m not convinced an Office for Value for Money will know how to do it either – that expertise should already be within the Treasury.”
The OfVM will have a team of 20 civil servants under the leadership of Mr Goldstone, who is expected to remain in post for a year, with “the possibility of extension”, according to the Treasury.
Mr Goldstone's salary is estimated at around £950 per day for an average of one day's work per week, giving a total salary of around £50,000 per year.
When Treasury Minister Darren Jones was asked that OfVM's salary would be worth £250,000 if full-time – significantly more than the Prime Minister's salary – he told LBC that ” the rate of return on improvements… will be much, much greater.”
Jones added: “We can’t expect people to work for free.
“In fact, David’s daily rate is, on a baseline basis, competitive.”
The Treasury has been contacted for comment.
