Early this year we released our Town Hall Rich List which showed that Tower Hamlets, one of the poorest boroughs in the country, had 27 employees earning more than £100,000 a year. One of those 27 individuals was a Mr Alex Cosgrave, who earns £148,173.38 as Corporate Director of Environment and Culture.
According to the council recycling league tables announced today, which name Tower Hamlets as the worse council in the country for recycling, Mr Cosgrave is not exactly providing the service local taxpayers must expect for forking out that much each year for his services. This is despite the fact that the council has spent £3.5 million in the last year alone attempting to expand its services, including council workers "doorstepping householders to encourage them to be greener" and local mosques "encouraged to spread the word at prayers."
Not only that, but the council proudly announces that it offers £50 vouchers to 10 properties each month who dispose of their rubbish in a manner the council deems fit. Clearly all this taxpayers’ money that is being thrown around by the council is not working, so predictably there is talk of wasting yet more money. Apparently central government is thinking of wading in to increase recycling in Tower Hamlets - "In 2006 the government threatened to send in a recycling "hit squad" to Tower Hamlets."
At this rate, it won’t be long before government starts doling money out to people who monitor their neighbour’s recycling patterns and then run off to the local council office to snitch on them.