"The Times" has accused quangos of bureaucratic waste and excess. In 2005 Dan Lewis, author of "The Essential Guide to Quangos", claimed that many quangos were useless and duplicated the work of others. In August 2008 a report by the right-leaning pressure group the Taxpayers' Alliance, claimed that £15 billion was being wasted by the regional development agencies, quangos set up to encourage economic development in their regions.