The Times reports that the government is to overhaul the primary school curriculum after progress in English, Maths and Science stalled. Earlier this week the PISA reported that we are falling down international rankings and poor performance is starting to show up even in the Government's own tests; debased by... Read more...
Congratulations to Hammersmith and Fulham Council, who have announced today that they are delivering another 3% cut in council tax. Across the country, council tax has doubled in the last ten years and yet councils claim they still don't have enough money. Taxes, they claim, must be raised further.... Read more...
WMTPA friends at the West Midlands NO! campaign have been active in their protest against the ‘City Region’ plans by beating the authorities to the punch and registering the proposed name of the ‘Birmingham, Coventry and Black Country City Region’ themselves. Read more...
The Birmingham Post reports today that Solihull Council are planning to review some controversial parking restrictions just two weeks after they were introduced. Local residents living in an area that becomes clogged with cars parked by shoppers patronising the nearby town centre had called for a straightforward parking permit... Read more...
In the news today there are two more stories of dismal public sector failure. Despite countless billions in extra spending within both the education system and the health service we are slipping down the international rankings for educational attainment and primary healthcare service standards are declining. The Telegraph's leader captures... Read more...
Launching a new report into childrens' educational attainment yesterday, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría emphasized the importance of education for the development of people and society: "Effective and innovative education policies open enormous opportunities for individuals....In the highly competitive globalised economy of today, quality education is one of the most valuable... Read more...
The GLA is the epitome of what we’ve always predicted regional government would become. It’s growing, taking more of your money in taxes and constantly creating more pitiful excuses for its own existence. So we’re not surprised that one of the jobs to come out of the GLA is our... Read more...
The replacement for the Nimrod spy plane, the Nimrod MRA4, was ordered in 1996. Since then we have had five defence secretaries. Michael Portillo, Des Browne, John Reid, Geoff Hoon and George Robertson. They've been in post for less than three years each. During that time the project to replace... Read more...
Results not quite as promised in the original plans The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has just produced its latest batch of results. They show the UK crashing down the international rankings of educational attainment (see rankings here). Once again, it seems, the government has done the eezy... Read more...
Does anyone really believe this stuff? So the ex-head of HMRC who resigned just a fortnight ago over the data discs disaster, is still in Whitehall, working now at the Cabinet Office. And Paul Gray is still on his £200k pa salary.Even better, he's now leading a project on "developing... Read more...
Mark Wallace, TaxPayers' Alliance Campaign Director, gives a brief introduction to the new report: Read more...
NEW SERIES TO REVEAL HOW COUNCILS REALLY SPEND THEIR MONEY AVERAGE PUBLICITY SPENDING DOUBLED TO £1 MILLION SINCE 1997 TOTAL TOWN HALL PUBLICITY BILL £450 MILLION A YEAR With council tax bills having doubled over the last ten years, the TaxPayers' Alliance has launched a new series... Read more...
Flashy new buildings fail to improve school In the news this week:£25m Blair "super-school" heading for closure- "A pioneering £25million "super-school", opened by ex-PM Tony Blair, has been put into special measures by school inspectors. Bishops Park College, built five years ago to mop up a predicted boom in demand... Read more...
Worcestershire County Council have been criticised today for running up a bill of over £1million for “self indulgent” refurbishments to the County Halls. Councillor Wells, who has sparked the controversy is quoted in the Worcester News: "At a time when the council is making savage cuts across key... Read more...
Surrey South West TaxPayers' Alliance and Surrey Tax Action Group Organiser Peter Webb updates us on the campaign in Surrey: Pre and ongoing: Prolonged dialogue with County Council on the effectiveness of roads contracts management and work supervision.Reflecting on development of TPA branch organisation2nd November: Non-job letter on 3... Read more...
Now here’s an interesting question for you, who spends £30,000 wining and dining at four star restaurants in the South of France, including £10,928 for a drinks reception and dinner, £8,625 for a cocktail party, £2,469 for three business breakfasts, £4,406 for a welcome barbecue and £3,868 for a launch... Read more...
Balls in his last job "Raising the participation age 'has potential economic benefits of £2.4bn per year group' THE BIGGEST REFORMS TO EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SKILLS IN A GENERATION Ed Balls and John Denham today published the Education and Skills Bill and outlined their plans to boost the skills... Read more...
Already this year we've had Kiddie Kevlar stab-proof school jumpers and manufacturers considering adding tracking devices to school uniforms. Now, the Telegraph reports that Marks and Spencers are marketing pyjamas that they say will protect you against hospital infections. All of these are just the more egregious examples of people... Read more...
We slump to 19th According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), English primary school pupils have slumped in the international league table of reading skills. The authoritative study of 40 countries showed them falling from third place in 2001 to 19th place in 2006.Yesterday Ed Balls blamed... Read more...
This post by Gracchi on the Liberal Conspiracy website attacking the Public Sector Rich List has plenty of phoney 'gotcha' moments. Fortunately, none of them remotely stack up: "Firstly its noticeable that on their website, they claim the need for this survey because these public sector workers are paid so... Read more...
The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) shows that English 10-year-olds have fallen from 3rd to 19th place since 2001. The study of 45 countries and provinces showed that only the results of Morocco and Romania fell more sharply. Predictably, but shamefully, Education Secretary Ed Balls... Read more...
Liverpool’s taxpayers will be shocked to know they have to stump up a whopping £150,000 for…wait for it…a chess tournament. This tale of incompetence started with the Liverpool Culture Company (LCC), a semi-private body, agreeing to pay for the European Chess Tournament, but reneged on the £100,000 deal. ... Read more...
Defending financial stability in an economy near you... soon... Peter Franklin argues, on ConservativeHome's Platform, for a minister in charge of financial stability: "Devoting a Cabinet minister to financial stability is no guarantee of financial stability, but it would help and, if nothing else, would send a message... Read more...
Stoke-On-Trent City Council are at it again with sky-high salaries for ambiguous bureaucratic positions. After losing their assistant chief executive to ill health, they’re now advertising the post with a bumper salary of £125,000. Many party leaders at the council question not only the salary, but the need for... Read more...