Charities are good. They help the disadvantaged and less fortunate, encourage altruism and facilitate a volunteering ethos. We can easily think of charities we hold dear to our hearts, perhaps because we, or someone close to us, has benefited from their initiative and care. Charities tackle many social ailments, from... Read more...
The so-called "cuts" haven't hit Tameside as of yet, as demonstrated by further waste in taxpayers' money. Tameside Council has forked out £4,995 on training and leaflets for staff and councillors giving them guidance and tips on how to walk as part of the council's wellbeing strategy. The scheme was carried... Read more...
Councils are complaining that new rules designed to stop them spending so much of our money on publicity are ‘draconian’. The Local Government Association has been whinging that the rules shows that the Government is not truly committed to localism but this is a pathetic attack- and it’s a line... Read more...
Following the release of our report, High Speed Rail, High Spending Risk, the debate has begun over the project. We highlighted flaws in the business case and will continue to rebut the excuses given by proponents of spending billions of taxpayers' money on this white elephant project. Read more...
Over the last couple of days there has been a lot of discussion of the Big Society. David Cameron defended the idea in the Observer over the weekend and wrote that it contained three elements: "devolving power to the lowest level so neighbourhoods take control of their destiny; opening up... Read more...
Congratulations to Bristol City Council for dropping its search for a new deputy chief executive earning £130,000 a year. Although this came only after a massive outcry following its cutting 400 lower-paid jobs, it is still welcome. Now what about the one European officer, six diversity officers and five climate... Read more...
As we reported in January (and it has also been widely reported in national newspapers) Lambeth Council has embarked on a poster advertising campaign with the slogan, 'The government has cut our money so we are forced to cut services.' The advert is also proudly displayed on the top of its... Read more...
I have been asked my opinions on two separate stories in the last week that involve the police. Either example could sadly have come from almost any publicly funded body, and even more alarmingly may continue to happen unless there is fundamental change to attitudes and rewards.The first story is... Read more...
A couple of weeks ago, we blogged about councils looking to pass the buck for necessary spending reductions. Lambeth council put posters up carrying the slogan "The Government has cut our money, so we are forced to cut services". Today, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles came out strongly against such overtly... Read more...
The East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) has announced free parking on weekends for three months, starting in November this year through to the end of January 2012. Although planning ahead for the festive period is not a bad thing - and no-one is going to complain at free parking -... Read more...
Yet once more, TPA supporter John Martin reports on the latest developments in relation to Norfolk County Council’s incinerator project.The past few weeks have been filled with gloom in this part of the world. The day when Norfolk County Council (NCC) makes it final decision – 7th March – draws... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance today reveals that Tolley's Tax Guide is now so long that the world's fastest speaker would take about 5 days to get through it.Even the individual guides for Income Tax, Corporation Tax and Capital Gains Tax are each longer than War and Peace. All three, along with... Read more...
Former MP Eric Illsley has been sentenced to 12 months in jail for fiddling his parliamentary expenses.Whilst this will send out a strong message to those who abuse taxpayers' money, it does not change the fact that Illsley ran for Parliament last year knowing he was guilty and that he... Read more...
There has been a catalogue of errors at the taxman’s office in recent months. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the country’s top taxman (Dave Hartnett) came in for heavy criticism after it emerged that millions of people had been paying the wrong income tax (via PAYE) for two... Read more...
Northumbria Police Authority have taken insensitivity to a whole new level by installing a £50,000 public artwork outside their spanking new headquarters – on the same day they told staff that 450 jobs are being axed.The steel and glass sculpture was winched into place last week just as support staff... Read more...
The Government’s surprise tax raid on banks’ balance sheets on Tuesday has been condemned by investors and business groups. The £800 million increase in the bank levy to £2.5 billion has contributed to fears of the UK’s business climate becoming increasingly unpredictable with the element of surprise and unpredictability being... Read more...
Consultants have been in the news this week. Take this one from Cornwall, where the county council employed businessman, Sir John Banham to work for the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) putting together draft documents on housing, renewable energy and dredging Falmouth harbour. For his 22 days worth of work, he... Read more...
Our initial report on high speed rail has had quite a reaction. Theresa Villiers, one of the Ministers responsible for the project, was challenged about it on BBC London. Unfortunately, the presenter only put one of our points to her, that the scheme is never expected to produce a financial... Read more...
Members of Northern Ireland's Legislative Assembly (MLAs) have been travelling throughout the world at the taxpayer’s expense. Some MLAs have taken a number of trips, including a visit to Washington DC from 15-18 March last year, which coincided with St. Patrick's Day. It would be expected that on such a trip, meetings with those... Read more...
Newcastle City Council, after just announcing nearly 700 jobs cuts, has obviously decided that the solution to their financial difficulties is... property speculation!The Council has just bought a six-storey building in the city centre for £5 million, claiming it will make a profit by renting out office space.The last time... Read more...
A key policy in George Osborne’s growth strategy has attracted remarkably scant take-up since it was announced in the June Budget. A National Insurance Contributions (NIC) holiday for small new businesses not located in London and the South East exempts start-up firms from NICs for the first 10 staff they... Read more...
Leicestershire County Council has proven its mettle up to now, preparing in advance for the inevitable cuts coming its way. It has, therefore, been able to maintain the majority of frontline services that are so crucial to local communities. The cuts that have been made to care for the elderly and recycling... Read more...
The internal shenanigans inside the ruling Conservative group on East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) do not seem to be going away. Last year, I wrote about how ten senior councillors were de-selected, only for them to be re-reselected after a farcical appeals process. It seems as if the repercussions are... Read more...
Last week, there were suggestions that George Osborne was preparing the ground for tax cuts in March’s budget. David Cameron put paid to that yesterday in an interview in the Sunday Telegraph:"when you're borrowing 11% of your GDP, it's not possible to make significant net tax cuts. It just isn't.... Read more...