We recently found the document to the right. It is a Turkish translation of their glossy "Equality News" magazine from 2003-04. The latest edition, in English, can be found here and they appear to translate it, each year, into Bengali, Chinese, French, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. Given that the document is... Read more...
We all know that our councils enjoy nothing more than using our money to polish their public image every once in a while, but this week Staffordshire County Council and Birmingham City Council have had to deal with the public backlash… No, this isn’t a doodle, this is... Read more...
On 22nd July a copy of Michael Frater’s Report – Diagnostic and stocktaking landed in my lap and was headlined in the local press on the 24th. It devastatingly revealed a long-standing whole system failure of Surrey County Council. A great deal of activity ensued on our part with myself,... Read more...
Crooks or Simple Shoppers - either way we lose Dodgy building contractors have long enjoyed a fruitful relationship with our local councils. Sometimes it's been out-and-out T Dan Smith (pic) corruption, but more generally the problem has been our old friend the Simple Shopper.Yesterday, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) announced the outcome... Read more...
M Mouse 101 Do taxpayers get value for money from higher education? We've blogged the concerns many times (see all posts gathered here). In summary: Taxpayers now spend £12bn pa on higher education, up around 50% in real terms since 1997; the students themselves spend a whole lot more There... Read more...
It's official: the government have firmly hopped on the anti-driver bandwagon, with more legal discrimination against motorists being proposed. This time it is slashing reclaimed costs for motorists who successfully challenge speeding and other driving penalties in court. The new proposal has sparked a Downing Street petition, which has... Read more...
Sandwell Council have been at it again, this time spending thousands on super-hero themed plays about recycling that have cost the taxpayer almost £30,000 in the past three years. Rather than leaving the teaching to teachers, the Black Country authority have employed the services of ‘Eco-girl’ and the ‘Recycling Rapping... Read more...
It seems that ministers are now reaching for the law to promote “greener” modes of transport and hassle motorists. Government advisors are suggesting changing civil law to make motorists automatically responsible for compensation and insurance to injured parties in road collisions. The radical measure is driven by the desire to... Read more...
It's going to take more than a shot of Botox It seems we're all cutters now.Even Schools Secretary Balls has flipped a back somersault since he made his unconvincing "investment" claims back in June. Back then, he told us: "I think with tough choices we can see real rises in the schools... Read more...
As the primary purpose of "How to save £50 billion" was to stimulate debate, the report has been an unqualified success. Informed and considered conversations are now going on about what works and what doesn't, what's vital and what's non-priority. The debate about Sure Start - which we proposed should be brought to... Read more...
At last! A Wolverhampton councillor sticks their neck out and speaks some common sense! But are Cllr Joan Stevenson’s wise words on the proliferation of non-jobbers within the city council just rhetoric, or will taxpayers start to see an end to the burgeoning levels of bureaucrats at the local authority?... Read more...
The latest set of employment figures are out today, and they confirm even more starkly that the public and private sectors are about as different as the two sides of C.S. Lewis's Wardrobe - except that in this case it is the real world that is trapped in the icy... Read more...
The Independent broke the story this week, and it has been followed up in most of the other nationals, that the Government is planning to roll out shooting galleries for smack addicts, where they can go and get great quality drugs to inject, under supervision and free of cost. Because a... Read more...
Robert Peston interviewed Gordon Brown for last night's News at Ten, and produced an absolute gem. As the interview wound up, Peston asked the PM Did you worry about the way in which household sector indebtedness was increasing, individuals were borrowing more and more and more? To which... Read more...
It would appear that taxpayers are footing the bill for yet more benefits for public sectors workers. This time it's free gifts, paid lunches and afternoons off work for traffic wardens who obtain the most revenue from parking penalties.The bonus system came to light after a briefing was leaked by... Read more...
Wobbly Stoke-on-Trent City Council have warned that inflation-busting council tax hikes in hand with service cuts will be needed to prevent the local authority decending £17m into the red. According to today’s The Sentinel, councillors were called to a special briefing where they were told that there’s already a... Read more...
Adam Lent has written a frankly ridiculous blog for the TUC: "I’ve just done a Sky News debate with Matthew Elliott of the Taxpayers’ Alliance. He suggested a new way of cutting public spending which breaches a whole new frontier in economic illiteracy (even for the TPA). His brilliant... Read more...
The front page of today’s Birmingham Post might suggest that it’s déjà-vu at Business Link West Midlands, as Alison White, a chief executive who has been in place just a year walks away prompting AWM intervention. Of course, the huge irony is that these are the very people who... Read more...
By Corin Taylor, Mike Denham and Matthew Sinclair We have had many positive responses to our report (PDF) on how to save £50 billion in spending, and the Chief Economist at the IPPR on the Today programme and Jackie Ashley in the Guardian today have both said that, while they... Read more...
Now that the gallery has finally opened the WMTPA will be keeping an eye on the progress of this £67m project. So no prizes for guessing which newly opened arts centre this unnamed employee works for: “The powers that be have made a big fuss of announcing the building... Read more...
That’s £50,000 for every man, woman and child in the UK In their new book Fleeced! Matthew Elliott, CEO of the TaxPayers’ Alliance and David Craig, author and management consultant, expose the financial, fiscal and political crisis resulting from a decade spent under the stewardship of Gordon Brown. The... Read more...
After two and a half wonderful years at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, this is my final blog on my last day here as your grassroots coordinator. To those of you I’ve met, corresponded with and campaigned with, thank you. Getting to know so many of you so well has made... Read more...
Yesterday we were at the Norwich Magistrates Court to support Barbara Lockwood (in the purple) as she was hauled back, yet again, for refusing to pay council tax increases. This time, however, instead of the usual council solicitor marching in, standing up, reading a prepared statement and the magistrates nodding it... Read more...
Joint study lays out detailed proposals to save £50 billion a year of public spending 32 specific measures offer savings of £42.5 billion from 2010-11, and a further 2 measures would save £7.5 billion from 2011-12 A groundbreaking new report jointly produced by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) and the... Read more...