The Christmas goose is certainly getting fat if you're Katherine Kerswell, the Managing Director of Kent County Council. After just 16 months into a four year contract, she is leaving the authority. Many councillors have been unhappy with the changes she has made, and according to the council, she is... Read more...
How much work do your councillors do? This is a question being asked in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, today. All councillors in Rotherham are paid an annual allowance of £12,130. This is to compensate them for their time, and for any income lost from their normal business activities or job whilst fulfilling... Read more...
In last week's bulletin sent out to all our supporters, I asked for examples of increases in parking charges across the country. Many thanks to those who got in touch. (If you would like to receive our weekly bulletin, sent out every Friday, click on this link to sign-up) It... Read more...
North Somerset Council is looking for a Waste Minimisation Officer. As far as I can see, the officer will spend a large amount of time either visiting or communicating with schools, community organisations, and other partners showing them how to minimise the amount of waste going into their standard refuse... Read more...
Like many councils, Sheffield City Council recently embarked upon a £57 million cost-cutting exercise in response to a fall in the central government grant. After council tax bills have nearly doubled across the country in the last decade there is no way taxpayers should pick up the bill. Apparently unaware... Read more...
The bizarre case of Christine Laird, former managing director of Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) continues to drain money from the taxpayer. The media consensus is broadly sympathetic to her claim for damages suffered as a result of a bullying environment at CBC during the years of her employment, and yet,... Read more...
The Treasury has recently published the Whole of Government accounts for 2010, which provide consolidated financial information for over 1,500 public sector organisations. This is the first time that such a detailed document has been put together and is a positive step towards greater transparency in how taxpayers' money is... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) today (Tuesday December 6th) sets out how David Cameron has, for the first time in a generation, a serious opportunity to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU and seek the repatriation of powers back to the UK.Click here to read the full reportClick here for the... Read more...
Who watches the watchmen? Taxpayers will be demanding answers after it was revealed that the very agency charged with delivering ‘significant sustainable cost reductions’ in public sector procurement has splurged £1.7million of taxpayers' money in nightclubs, five star hotels and on trips to New York. The Government Procurement Service (GPS)... Read more...
Theatres and arts centres are costly things for taxpayers. Earlier this year I wrote about 'The Waterfront' in Aylesbury. Taxpayers give this theatre a £500K subsidy, yet despite this, when the council wanted to hire the theatre on election night, we had to stump up another £20K for the privilege.... Read more...
When asked by the Department for Communities and Local Government to publish all spending to suppliers over £500, all but Nottingham City Council did so. Of those that did, there are still some issues regarding how the data is put online. This degree of transparency is still in its infancy... Read more...
In the vital shopping days leading up to Christmas, Wiltshire Council continues to hinder hard-pressed traders with their farcical parking charges policy, ignoring both popular protest and a ‘Show Some Sense’ local newspaper campaign. The latest twist in this sorry saga sees Wiltshire Council proffering a miserly 10p cut in... Read more...
Remember this? I wrote about Unison's countdown to power after the local elections this year. They clearly feel they are in charge, but is this true, or is it merely spin over substance? In May, Andy Stankard became the Principal Cabinet Support Officer in Hull City Council. According to... Read more...
There has already been much publicity in the media for our report last week into Taxpayer funding of trade unions. We found that at least £113 million of taxpayers' money was last year given to trade unions either in direct grants or through taxpayer-subsidised "facility time" - and we believe... Read more...
Following up on our release yesterday confronting union myths, and TPA Research Director John O'Connell's blog for this site, I wrote for the Spectator Coffee House about the TUC using a poll which showed the public had a good idea of the value of normal public sector pensions to try... Read more...
In our report last, week, we revealed that trade unions are subsidised by taxpayers to the tune of £113 million. That is made up of an estimated £80 million in paid staff time, plus £33 million in direct payments. This is an increase of £7 million from 2009/10. One of... Read more...
The strike today has been called the “largest coordinated action ever seen in the UK” by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). The unions claim nearly 3 million public sector staff are not at work today, but the paltry number of strikers outside government department buildings in Westminster this... Read more...
Below is some background information on public sector pay and union pension myths, as well as an assortment of recently published work that you may find of use. The TaxPayers’ Alliance is today also releasing a new online calculator that allows someone in the private sector to assess how their... Read more...
Public sector workers receive generous remuneration, which is paid for by workers in the private sector who get less in pay and benefits. As unions prepare to strike over proposed pensions changes, we're releasing a new online calculator that allows private sector workers to assess how their total remuneration compares... Read more...
Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: "There is some good news for taxpayers in the Autumn Statement, but over time the Government still needs to do more to deliver lower and simpler taxes. If tax remains the heavy and uncomfortable burden it is today, growth will stay... Read more...
The decision to buy the F35 Lightning II C variant instead on the B model as a result of the 2010 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has led to a cost increase that will not be known until December 2012. The decision to change the type of aircraft was taken to... Read more...
Getting debt under control is proving harder than anyone envisaged- David Cameron last week At the time of the March Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that borrowing would overshoot the Coalition's original 2010 forecasts by a cumulative £46 billion. The overshoot was entirely attributable to a spending overrun:... Read more...
- Excluding the NHS, there are more public sector workers drawing a pension than there are working and paying in- Public sector pensions are unsustainable. Trade Unionists should go for reform, not strikes The TaxPayers' Alliance has today revealed that the number of retirees across the public sector is fast... Read more...