For regular passengers on the East Coast main line, the news that National Express has failed in its running of the line so badly that the Government has decided to seize control of it will come as no surprise. For the taxpayers who are now faced with yet more railway... Read more...
Some months ago it was announced that two vacancies had arisen on the East Hertfordshire council Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP). Although only a consultative body, the role of an IRP is to recommend all the pay and perks councillors can get and, therefore, have considerable power and influence. As citizens’ panels... Read more...
There are over 550 jobs in government this week, so it's quite appropriate to mention that today as it's been announced that graduate trainee jobs in the private sector are down by an average 13% this year. But never mind, the government are content on squeezing the productive, profit making sector to line... Read more...
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) gave its strongest line on the UK's fiscal problems yesterday, urging the Government to return to "credible" spending plans. In the context of Lord Mandelson's admission that the Government would not be holding a spending review before the election, the OECD's 'Economic... Read more...
In 2007-08, 41.1% of the UK's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was public spending. There had been a significant rise since spending bottomed out in 1999. But, that is nothing compared to what is projected to happen over the next few years. The Centre for Economics and Business Research have used... Read more...
Two stories caught my eye this morning that should send taxpayers' blood boiling. First into the trough was Kent County Council who pushed up their allowances by a shocking 8% last week! The opposition, to their credit, tried to delay the increase by proposing a public consultation. As the... Read more...
Our last Town Hall Rich List revealed that Birmingham City Council Chief Executive, Stephen Hughes, enjoyed a very healthy 18.2% pay increase between 2006/7 and 2007/8 and last week the Birmingham Post reported that he’s now a member of the “£200,000+ per year club”. So how exactly has Mr.... Read more...
The Guardian reports today that the Government is to end its centralised control of schools, abandoning one of New Labour's most significant education reforms. Details are still sketchy, as this news - like that about school mergers earlier this week - comes from DCSF leaks, not an actual bill. (A... Read more...
First Westminster, now the BBC. The burgeoning desire for public spending transparency shifted its focus to another big beast of state funding this week, and the revelations have courted outrage, albeit not as vehement as that directed at our politicians. Again, the claims vary from the grand to the frivolous... Read more...
Prospect has a good piece by David Halpern this month, urging the Government to begin the painful but absolutely unavoidable process of cutting public expenditure....see here. "...we must overcome our longstanding lack of interest in evaluating whatworks: the quiet scandal of public policy where billions are spent butnot unspent if... Read more...
It seems that David Tredinnick, the Bosworth MP best known for his part in the cash for questions scandal, has possibly outdone the moats and the duck houses in the ridiculous expenses claims stakes. He has claimed for software and training to make him proficient in...astrology. Yes, astrology: the... Read more...
When a new schools policy is announced, check the reaction of the National Union of Teachers (NUT). Supportive, and the policy is liable to be misguided. Condemnation, and the policy is perhaps worth considering. It's a crude, but none the less useful guide. The NUT is just doing what any... Read more...
This week the Guardian website has well over 600 vacancies for jobs in government. Ranging from local to national and policy jobs, they’re paid for by the taxpayer. One thing I will note, however, is that there are still plenty of communications and similar jobs on offer (as we have... Read more...
The Daily Mail reports today that Royal Mail could be fined up to £40million for an alleged scam that aimed to fudge findings from efficiency reports. An independent research company chose panels and these people then sent letters to each other – containing the name and address of the sender... Read more...
Last Wednesday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published it's quarterly statistical bulletin for Public Sector Employment. Total public sector employment at March 2009 sat at 6.020 million, 20.7% of UK total employment. Providing information for the first quarter of 2009, this is the first release to include the workers... Read more...
There's a fascinating post over on Chris Dillow's Stumbling and Mumbling blog about the possibility that increased taxes on alcohol will increase binge drinking, ceteris paribus: "Thirdly, there’s a spill-over from genes into social norms. In societies with more blue-eyed/shy people, drinking for Dutch courage, to loosen inhibitions -... Read more...
Please find below Peter Webb's campaign diary... Running on from the Feb-April diary... The meeting at County Hall on 18th May duly took place but was given insufficient time. PGW and John Bosten attended facing Ccllr Michael Gosling (Executive Member Resources) and Chief finance Officer Phil Walker. Our... Read more...
Well, after 5 years of fighting, debating and legal battles, today Parliament has finally released the details of MPs' expenses. Or rather, they have released some heavily edited sections of the details of MPs' expenses. After MPs themselves have been allowed to go through all their own claims "redacting" information,... Read more...
When Standard & Poor's released a warning that they might need to downgrade Britain's debt - which would cost taxpayers a fortune in higher interest payments - as many institutional investors could then no longer buy Treasury debt, they made it clear how they would be deciding whether a downgrade would take... Read more...
After many months of deliberation, the Calman Commission has today reported back on the question of Scottish devolution. As many readers will remember, last year we produced a report on Scottish funding, financial devolution and the Barnett Formula which we submitted to the Commission. So is their conclusion any good?... Read more...
Current plans are for the Olympic Village to leave behind a legacy of 3,000 new homes. The Olympic Village project has failed to attract the private financing expected and as a result, the project has been nationalised. That means there would not need to be any significant new... Read more...
Fancy stats, but the picture remains the same For many years now, the Office for National Statistics has been beavering away trying to develop measures of output and productivity in our public services. It hasn't been at all straightforward, as we can see by glancing at the dense array of... Read more...
There’s little doubt that history is a very valuable subject and that it’s tremendously important to keep children aware of the most vital and relevant dates and events in the human calendar. Selecting them is an unenviable task…and sadly for kids in the Black Country, somewhere along the line, Sandwell... Read more...
Earlier this week the Local Government Association published the summary findings of their survey of councillors' allowances but refused to release the details of the various allowances council by council. I'm pleased to say that thanks to a number of sympathetic councillors we are now in possession of the full table and... Read more...