There's been success for a long-running TPA campaign today, as ten councillors have been removed from the Tories' list of approved candidates in the East Riding of Yorkshire after their part in a series of large payouts to departing senior officers in 2008 was exposed by us.
Months of campaigning and protests have led up to today’s events, which are reported on the front page of the Yorkshire Post and the front page of the Hull Daily Mail here:
Yorkshire Post: East Riding council leader in row over pension fund cast into wilderness
Hull Daily Mail: Council leader faces fight for survival after Tory colleagues move to oust him
Andrew Allison was also interviewed by the BBC today about the story.
Two years ago these ten East Riding of Yorkshire councillors were among those who approved inflation-busting pay rises for a few of their senior staff. Three of those senior officers left their posts shortly afterwards (with an enhanced final salary pension), and large discretionary payments were made to their pension funds. One of the most notorious was the discretionary payment of £364,205 made to Sue Lockwood (former East Riding Council corporate resources director).
TaxPayers’ Alliance National Grassroots Coordinator, Andrew Allison, was vocal in his opposition against these huge pay outs, and organised two protests earlier this year, which he blogged about. The protests attracted media attention and raised awareness of the issue, gathering interest and momentum for a campaign to get the council to listen to taxpayers who were expressing their disapproval. Two years on Ms Lockwood may still have her money, but payments like this will not take place again and this is largely through the pressure we have put on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.There's been success for a long-running TPA campaign today, as ten councillors have been removed from the Tories' list of approved candidates in the East Riding of Yorkshire after their part in a series of large payouts to departing senior officers in 2008 was exposed by us.
Months of campaigning and protests have led up to today’s events, which are reported on the front page of the Yorkshire Post and the front page of the Hull Daily Mail here:
Yorkshire Post: East Riding council leader in row over pension fund cast into wilderness
Hull Daily Mail: Council leader faces fight for survival after Tory colleagues move to oust him
Andrew Allison was also interviewed by the BBC today about the story.
Two years ago these ten East Riding of Yorkshire councillors were among those who approved inflation-busting pay rises for a few of their senior staff. Three of those senior officers left their posts shortly afterwards (with an enhanced final salary pension), and large discretionary payments were made to their pension funds. One of the most notorious was the discretionary payment of £364,205 made to Sue Lockwood (former East Riding Council corporate resources director).
TaxPayers’ Alliance National Grassroots Coordinator, Andrew Allison, was vocal in his opposition against these huge pay outs, and organised two protests earlier this year, which he blogged about. The protests attracted media attention and raised awareness of the issue, gathering interest and momentum for a campaign to get the council to listen to taxpayers who were expressing their disapproval. Two years on Ms Lockwood may still have her money, but payments like this will not take place again and this is largely through the pressure we have put on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
Months of campaigning and protests have led up to today’s events, which are reported on the front page of the Yorkshire Post and the front page of the Hull Daily Mail here:
Yorkshire Post: East Riding council leader in row over pension fund cast into wilderness
Hull Daily Mail: Council leader faces fight for survival after Tory colleagues move to oust him
Andrew Allison was also interviewed by the BBC today about the story.
Two years ago these ten East Riding of Yorkshire councillors were among those who approved inflation-busting pay rises for a few of their senior staff. Three of those senior officers left their posts shortly afterwards (with an enhanced final salary pension), and large discretionary payments were made to their pension funds. One of the most notorious was the discretionary payment of £364,205 made to Sue Lockwood (former East Riding Council corporate resources director).
TaxPayers’ Alliance National Grassroots Coordinator, Andrew Allison, was vocal in his opposition against these huge pay outs, and organised two protests earlier this year, which he blogged about. The protests attracted media attention and raised awareness of the issue, gathering interest and momentum for a campaign to get the council to listen to taxpayers who were expressing their disapproval. Two years on Ms Lockwood may still have her money, but payments like this will not take place again and this is largely through the pressure we have put on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.There's been success for a long-running TPA campaign today, as ten councillors have been removed from the Tories' list of approved candidates in the East Riding of Yorkshire after their part in a series of large payouts to departing senior officers in 2008 was exposed by us.
Months of campaigning and protests have led up to today’s events, which are reported on the front page of the Yorkshire Post and the front page of the Hull Daily Mail here:
Yorkshire Post: East Riding council leader in row over pension fund cast into wilderness
Hull Daily Mail: Council leader faces fight for survival after Tory colleagues move to oust him
Andrew Allison was also interviewed by the BBC today about the story.
Two years ago these ten East Riding of Yorkshire councillors were among those who approved inflation-busting pay rises for a few of their senior staff. Three of those senior officers left their posts shortly afterwards (with an enhanced final salary pension), and large discretionary payments were made to their pension funds. One of the most notorious was the discretionary payment of £364,205 made to Sue Lockwood (former East Riding Council corporate resources director).
TaxPayers’ Alliance National Grassroots Coordinator, Andrew Allison, was vocal in his opposition against these huge pay outs, and organised two protests earlier this year, which he blogged about. The protests attracted media attention and raised awareness of the issue, gathering interest and momentum for a campaign to get the council to listen to taxpayers who were expressing their disapproval. Two years on Ms Lockwood may still have her money, but payments like this will not take place again and this is largely through the pressure we have put on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.