A local resident tells me about the continuing agony of Bath’s £16 million Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route, dubbed a ‘pointless road to nowhere.’ In an era of cuts, Bath and North East Somerset council were asked by the Department for Transport (DfT) to revisit their overall plans for the Bath... Read more...
The TaxPayers' Alliance has released astonishing footage of the world's fastest speaker, Steve Woodmore, reading aloud from the books that contain the UK tax code. It comes after the TPA released this research showing how the Tolley’s guides for individual taxes have grown over the last decade. Guides for Income... Read more...
Dominic Browne has written a blog on the bold claim by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) that the National Minimum Wage (NMW) “need not harm youth employment” over at Left Foot Forward. Strong stuff. The paper finds that in the weeks preceding the 22nd birthday (when... Read more...
After the publication of our report yeasterday on council mileage spending, the response from the leaders of both Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council was very positive. Here is what they had to say as reported in the Hull Daily Mail. First, Cllr Carl Minns from Hull:"It's... Read more...
Our report on council mileage allowances was released this morning. Many of the statements released in response are actually answered in the sources and methodology section of our report. But I will respond to a few of them here to clear a few things up. The figures are "out of... Read more...
Would you like to be paid to have fun? This is not me asking, rather Bracknell Forest Council who are advertising for a Support Play Ranger. According to the advert:Bracknell Forest Council delivers an exciting Play Ranger Project that offers free open access play opportunities to children and young people... Read more...
Council staff claim £427 million for mileage As councils complain that they are cash-strapped, the TaxPayers' Alliance has discovered that £427 million was paid out in mileage allowances in 2009-10. Many of those councils paid up to 65p a mile to staff using their cars.Click here to read the full... Read more...
Despite the expenses scandal, the creation of IPSA and the immense pressure put on MPs to become entirely honest about their remuneration, there is a real danger that they haven’t learned the right lesson from the scandal. Ian Cowie recently reported in his Daily Telegraph Blog that:After Budget promises to... Read more...
In their March 2010 report Reality check: Fixing the UK’s tax system the think tank Reform proposed broadening the VAT base as the centrepiece of their proposed tax reforms. They proposed to abolish zero and reduced rated items, so the same rate would be paid on all products. That would... Read more...
In response to the Department for Communities and Local Government consultation on the “Code of recommended practice for local authorities on data transparency,” our key recommendation was HR transparency. Hammersmith and Fulham Council have taken strides in this area and have a list of job titles available on their website.... Read more...
Last week I did my council a favour by removing our own garden refuse and taking it to the local recycling centre. It took several trips, but I thought best to get on with it rather than wait for the fortnightly collection of garden waste. Now, it appears, I could... Read more...
The Government has sent a shot across the bows of councils that are issuing fines to people for breaking bin rules. We have always opposed these penalties, viewing them as a mean-spirited stealth tax on households, thinly disguised as a green measure. We recently flagged up the problem of fines... Read more...
Gordon Brown has admitted that a mistake was made in the regulatory structure for financial services ahead of the crisis, principally in a failure to appreciate systemic risk. He blamed pressures for less regulation from those concerned at the competitiveness of the City - despite the fact the problem was... Read more...
David Cameron has announced a ripping up of red tape. Yesterday we saw a new website appear called The Red Tape Challenge. Less bureaucracy is a good thing and listening to people from the real world is also welcome. But previous attempts and promises to decrease regulation have not been... Read more...
We today reacted to the news that former MP Elliot Morley has pleaded guilty to expenses charges. The former minister now admits claiming £32,000 for a mortgage that no longer existed. Emma Boon, Campaign Director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:“Thanks to Morley taking so long to make an admission of... Read more...
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has predicted British economic growth will be sluggish due to the Government’s austerity measures coming into effect yesterday, dubbed “Black Wednesday” by Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls. The club of 34 developed nations expects the Government’s fiscal tightening to depress GDP growth figures... Read more...
Those who have seen the film 'Groundhog Day' will have an insight into what it's like writing this weekly feature. Another week passes by, yet the same councils and the same recruitment agency keep popping up. Once again Morgan Hunt is advertising for a £200-£300 a day interim job, and... Read more...
As if life isn’t difficult enough for small businesses in these tough economic times than Bath & North East Somerset council want to add an extra burden. Like some window-taxing Georgians, the council thought it would be a good idea to charge shopkeepers for using A-boards to advertise their businesses.... Read more...
Many councils have announced the abolition or their newspapers and magazines - or propaganda rags as they have become known. Hull has abolished 'Hull in Print' completely, and 'East Riding News' is now going to be published on a quarterly basis. This is something we have been campaigning for and... Read more...
Duncan Weldon presents himself as an economist but he seems more and more like a bit of a hack. Last week he wrote an article for the False Economy website with an analysis that he must know is dodgy. Here is his central argument:"Here we can clearly see the impact... Read more...
For many years, various governmental departments have used private firms to perform tasks on their behalf. Procurement has proved to be an efficient way to avoid expensive redundancy packages, pension packages and to ensure the nanny state image didn’t cross the threshold of the 21st century image of the supposedly efficient... Read more...
An exciting event, the Rally Against Debt, has been organised for 14 May. It will be a major demonstration highlighting the importance of tackling the huge public sector deficit, and the need for substantial spending cuts. So far over 1,300 people have signed up to a rally that aims to... Read more...
There have been a number of responses to our research note on the impact of HS2 on capacity. Chris Stokes has looked at the purported rebuttals and find that none of them credibly challenge our findings. Read more...