The Economist provided a helpful guide to Government education jargon last week, in their insert 'Translating eduspeak'. Here are just some of their insightful observations: Satisfactory - One of the four possible judgements of the schools inspectorate (the other there are inadequate, good and outstanding). It means "unsatisfactory". ("Inadequate", for... Read more...
Our report into council pensions today has exposed a shocking number of councillors who have opted into the local government pension scheme. Yes, you thought it was just for council staff, but no, since 2003 councillors have been given the opportunity to opt into the scheme. Already given generous allowances,... Read more...
The ongoing roll of news about the crushingly huge cost of RBS' liabilities - now 70% taken on by British taxpayers - continues today, dreadful revelation after dreadful revelation. Almost as worrying than the historic losses that taxpayers have inherited from Sir Fred "The Shred" Goodwin is the fact that the latest... Read more...
Politics and common sense rarely go hand in hand, and the current debate over Royal Mail is quickly becoming a prime example of this.The Times reports today that Lord Mandelson - in desperate efforts to avoid a backbench rebellion - will promise to enshrine in primary legislation the public's majority... Read more...
Politics and common sense rarely go hand in hand, and the current debate over Royal Mail is quickly becoming a case par excellence. The Times reports today that Lord Mandelson - in desperate efforts to avoid a backbench rebellion - will promise to enshrine in primary legislation the public's majority... Read more...
It has been reported in the Daily Telegraph and elsewhere today that council tax is set to rise by a staggering 3% in April. The LGA issued a somewhat contradictory statement, announcing the rise and then saying that councils were working 'flat out' to keep council tax down and that... Read more...
Today you will find 508 jobs in government as the adjacent table shows. It all costs money, money your council tax increase is going to (but not in Hammersmith and Fulham who will again cut their council tax this year). So weep into your cornflakes as we perform a merry... Read more...
A panel set-up to improve Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been highly criticised by elected members for paying its board members allowances totalling no less than £62,000 – that works out at a whopping £400 per meeting. The Stoke-on-Trent Governance Board (GTB) uses money provided by the Regional Improvement Efficiency... Read more...
In our struggle with Kent Country Council, the Information Commissioner has ruled in favour of the TaxPayers' Alliance. Some background: In putting together the Town Hall Rich List 2008, we asked all the councils in the UK to provide details of those employees earning over £100,000. Many councils, appreciating that... Read more...
From the Bristol and South West TPA blog: TaxPayers’ Alliance urges Bristol politicians to co-operate to cut taxes “Best of the Budgets” would provide a 2.2% tax cut The Taxpayers' Alliance (TPA) wishes to congratulate all the political parties currently represented on Bristol City Council for the... Read more...
Below you'll find the latest campaign diary by our erstwhile organiser, Peter Webb. We've built up an impressive branch in Surrey, with constant communication, meetings with senior councillors and a constant presence in Surrey arguing for local taxpayers. 17th Messaged Michael Gosling (Executive Member Resources) asking about Organisation chart... Read more...
If you happen to live in Stoke-on-Trent there’s a one in ten chance that you’re ‘badly overweight’ according to The Sentinel. Should your sheer size start to impact upon your well-being, then your local health trust have ensured that there’s a contingency plan in place to zip you off to... Read more...
We still hear more and more murmurings of 3 million unemployed by the end of the year. But not in local government! Fewer people in the private sector paying for yet more in the public sector makes for economic catastrophe. Of the 519 government jobs you can apply for this... Read more...
The news today that Abu Qatada, "Bin Laden's right hand man in Europe", and several of his fellow extremists are not only still in Britain but are being paid compensation for the inconvenience of their detention, have caused understandable disgust. Let us be clear. Qatada hates Britain and everything it... Read more...
This morning TPA supporters joined up with the West London Residents Association and Guide Dogs for the Blind to protest against an expensive and potentially dangerous experiment about to take place in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The protest was to oppose the plans... Read more...
So Birmingham City Council are looking to freeze council tax at 1.9% this year and plan to keep it there right up until 2018 whilst pursuing an “aggressive cost-cutting programme aimed at eliminating waste”. But while many will view this as good news, it still begs the question, if BCC... Read more...
The grassroots campaign was out and about in Morden, South London, today, with a protest outside Merton Council’s town hall. Armed with our new leaflets, some excellent grassroots placards and the grit and determination to see our council tax cut, we met and talked to Londoners who overwhelmingly... Read more...
It has been a busy week for education correspondents. From Professor Smith's outspoken criticism of the Government's new science diplomas, to news that Ed Ball's 'National Challenge' scheme is nothing more than empty words, the Government Departments responsible for education have been much in the news. Here is a round... Read more...
Last week it was reported that Whitehall would have to pay an additional £4 million to enable the new Welsh Courts computer system to translate documents into Welsh, on top of the £444 million already spent. There are several questions here. The first, and most obvious, is why Welsh translation... Read more...
"Widely thought to be failing students and contributing to the nation's high levels of crime and unemployment, schools had become smothered by a large and inefficient bureaucracy. Decision makers were removed from the consequences of their choices. Teachers - whose pay was divorced completely from performance - rationally made decisions... Read more...
It was reported today that the Great Western Hospital in Swindon has hired two smoking wardens on up to £15,000 a year to police the hospital gorunds and stop people lighting up in the grounds. The first and most important problem is that this is a blatant misallocation of... Read more...
The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has welcomed the Conservatives’ new green paper on local government, which propose greater powers for local people over council tax levels and the way councils are run, improved transparency in local government spending and the effective abolition of the Regional Development Agencies. Matthew... Read more...
I suppose that by now it should no longer be surprising to see yet another ridiculous criminal offence introduced, but this one did give me a bit of a shock. From today it is arguably illegal to take a photograph of a police officer. Yet again, whilst our laws... Read more...
Today, Harry Phibbs, on ConservativeHome, posted a list of 100 ways to cut the Council Tax without cutting services. The options include ideas for cost-cutting from advertising to street lighting to libraries. It is great to see such realistic and reasonable ideas laid out. We need to see these... Read more...