Following the release of the University Rich List, the TPA team visited the Durham University Freshers' Fair to speak to students about the report. All were shocked to learn that the vice-chancellor of Durham, Stuart Corbridge, was paid £301,431 in 2017-18. They were even more surprised when they discovered that... Read more...
On Monday, 23rd September, we were joined by entrepreneur and living legend Barry Hearn to celebrate the launch of our latest report, The Bumper Book of Burdens on Business. The report outlines the bureaucratic regulations and taxes such as VAT, business rates, fuel duty and corporation tax which are stifling innovation, productivity,... Read more...
Our team visited Bristol to campaign against the introduction of a workplace parking levy (WPL). Nottingham introduced one in 2012, charging businesses with 11 or more staff parking spaces, £415 per space, per year! We firmly oppose another stealth tax being introduced in Bristol and our Lose The Levy campaign... Read more...
As part of the Burdens on Business Tour, we spoke to business owners about why the TPA wants taxes and regulation reduced. Read more...
Once again we joined forces with keen local campaigners to expose local council waste. Many people we spoke to are absolutely fed up of council bosses being paid six-figure salaries yet in return residents receive poor quality services. Read more...
The TPA visited Bath as part of the Rich List Roadshow tour to highlight the very large remuneration paid to its council bosses. Data from our Town Hall Rich List shows the Strategic Director for Resources was paid £424,250 in 2017/18. The bulk of the pay is made up of... Read more...
The TPA team ventured to the north east of England and specifically Sunderland to join forces with local campaign group Sunderland for Transparency. Together we have unearthed numerous examples of the local council wasting taxpayers' money. Grassroots Campaign Manager Harry Fone spoke at their annual social event about the work... Read more...
Do we need alternatives to HS2, and what should they be? Panellists: Shaun Bailey – Member of the London Assembly and Conservative candidate for the 2020 London mayoral electionMichael Byng – Great British Transport Competition judge, transport infrastructure consultant and quantity surveyorKelvin Hopkins - Member of Parliament for Luton North... Read more...
It was a pleasure to be out campaigning again with the Croydon Constitutionalists. We had a fascinating day speaking to residents of Addiscombe about everything for high salaries for council bosses to local vanity projects. Read more...
TPA staff and supporters travelled to Royal Tunbridge Wells to campaign against proposals to build new council offices and a theatre at a cost of £90 million to local ratepayers. This despite the fact they already have reasonably good infrastructure that a simple refurbishment would bring up to modern standards.Many... Read more...
The TPA team descend on Oxford to speak to local residents about the obscene amounts of money paid to Oxfordshire council bosses. Remarkably the chief executive was paid £216,722 (in 2017/18) and worse still employed an assistant chief executive who received nearly £140,000! One of the most interesting moments of... Read more...
We joined a group of supporters called the Croydon Constituionalists to focus on the enormous salaries paid to Croydon council bosses. In total 19 council fat cats were paid over £100,000 with the highest salary going to the chief executive at £212,935! This from a council that has some questionable... Read more...
It was a pleasure to meet the dedicated members of Mid-Cheshire Against HS2 who have been diligently campaigning against the vanity project for several years. Their stall at the Royal Cheshire County Show was a non-stop hive of activity as many people stopped and chatted to voice their disapproval at the scheme. By sheer... Read more...
Meaningful but realistic policy changes to ease the housing crisis. The housing crisis is worsening by the day, a panel of experts discussed what should be done. Chair: Duncan SimpsonPanellists:Barry Macleod-Cullinane, a former councillor for HarrowJohn Myers, co-founder of Yes In My Back Yard or YIMBYRory Meakin, a TaxPayers’ Alliance... Read more...
We visited Bletchley in Milton Keynes, home of the famous World War Two Enigma code breakers, to speak with local residents about the high salaries paid to council bosses. For example the chief executive of Milton Keynes Council is paid nearly £185,000 despite refurbishments to their headquarters running nearly £8... Read more...
The TPA visited the magnificent port city of Plymouth as part of our Rich List Roadshow tour. Joined by local coordinator Jake and budding volunteers we highlighted that 13 of the city council's employees were paid more than £100,000 for the financial year 2017 to 2018. Many locals we spoke... Read more...
Grassroots campaign manager Harry Fone spoke on panels discussing social care funding and the future of the high street. Read more...
Panellists: Lord Henry HaywoodDouglas CarswellSir Henry Bellingham MPHenry Hill Lord Flight Lords, constitutional experts and former MPs all gathered to discuss the future of the House of Lords. Following a recent report by Sir Henry Bellingham MP on reforming the Upper House this was the perfect opportunity to debate this... Read more...
After months of hard work, we published our landmark report The Great British Transport Competition, which proposed 28 alternative transport infrastructure projects to HS2. The winning proposals ranged from reopening old railways stations and lines, upgrading the A1 and A5 to building more cycle paths across the nation. The report was... Read more...
TPA staff and supporters gathered in Lewes where East Sussex County Council employ 11 staff receiving over £100,000 in their pay packets for 2017/18. Local coordinator Cllr Charles Amos said that it is maddening that they are paid so much particularly when services are being cut and council tax bills... Read more...
It's full steam ahead for the campaign to stop HS2! This week saw protesters gather at Euston station in London to celebrate Matthew Bishop and his mother Gerry complete their walk along Phase 1 of the proposed high speed line. Along the way they have spoken to many people who... Read more...
On Tuesday we had the pleasure of meeting anti-HS2 campaigner Matthew Bishop. He is walking Phase 1 of the line to raise awareness about how destructive the project is to the environment and how ordinary people are badly affected by it. During his journey he has spoken to many who are... Read more...
On the 24th April, the TaxPayers' Alliance launched a new report: "Embracing technology in health and social care", which shows that £18.5 billion could be saved in the NHS and social care systems by increasing productivity and freeing up staff resources. . The paper included a foreword and remarks from... Read more...
Our team and supporters were in Lancaster and Morecambe to campaign against wasteful council spending on agencies and consultants. Findings show that since 2016 Lancaster City Council has spent over £4 million on consultancy and many are questioning if this represents value for money. Read more...