Ministers have been accused of being “hooked” on costly private sector consultants after dishing out a £1.6 million contract to assess a scheme that was ditched after just a few months.
Rishi Sunak announced the “Help to Grow: Digital” scheme in his 2021 Spring Budget, while he was Boris Johnson ’s Chancellor.
It launched in Autumn 2022 - but closed to new applications in December, blaming “low take-up.”
