Today the TaxPayers’ Alliance announces two new monthly awards to celebrate those in power who have sought to save – and waste – taxpayers’ money.
The man, woman or organisation to be congratulated for saving public money will be named the TPA’s “Pin-Up of the Month”, whilst whoever is found to have shown the greatest disregard for taxpayers’ cash will be shamed as the TPA’s “Pinhead of the Month”.
The first award for Pin-Up of the Month goes to Defence Minister Andrew Robathan. In an answer to a parliamentary question he revealed how he discovered that the Ministry of Defence had been paying £120,000 in unnecessary satellite TV subscriptions. Action has now been taken to stop this waste, he announced.
Meanwhile, the TPA’s inaugural Pinhead of the Month is Gordon Matheson, the leader of Glasgow City Council. New research released today by the TPA reveals that in the last year his council spent almost £83,000 on hosting and attending awards ceremonies – more than any other council in the United Kingdom.
Jonathan Isaby, Political Director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, commented:
“TheTaxPayers’ Alliance has always believed that key to delivering taxpayer value for money is exposing those in power to public scrutiny by ensuring that there is transparency and openness in how they spend our hard-earned cash. These new monthly awards will seek both to expose politicians’ worst excesses and recognise those who have tried to do the right thing by taxpayers.
“At a time when all public bodies are having to look for savings, a number of councils have recognised that organising or attending costly awards ceremonies is unjustifiable. But Glasgow City Council is not one of them; so given their penchant for awards, its leader, Gordon Matheson, deserves a gong of his own as the TPA’s first ever Pinhead of the Month for spending over £82,000 of hard-pressed council taxpayers’ money on these frivolous events.
“The TPA’s inaugural Pin-Up of the Month, Defence Minister Andrew Robathan, has done exactly what any minister should be doing: rooting our waste in his department to save taxpayers’ money. It is shocking that £120,000 was being spent on satellite TV that no-one was watching and good to know that this has now been rectified.”
Today the TaxPayers’ Alliance announces two new monthly awards to celebrate those in power who have sought to save – and waste – taxpayers’ money.
The man, woman or organisation to be congratulated for saving public money will be named the TPA’s “Pin-Up of the Month”, whilst whoever is found to have shown the greatest disregard for taxpayers’ cash will be shamed as the TPA’s “Pinhead of the Month”.
The first award for Pin-Up of the Month goes to Defence Minister Andrew Robathan. In an answer to a parliamentary question he revealed how he discovered that the Ministry of Defence had been paying £120,000 in unnecessary satellite TV subscriptions. Action has now been taken to stop this waste, he announced.
Meanwhile, the TPA’s inaugural Pinhead of the Month is Gordon Matheson, the leader of Glasgow City Council. New research released today by the TPA reveals that in the last year his council spent almost £83,000 on hosting and attending awards ceremonies – more than any other council in the United Kingdom.
Jonathan Isaby, Political Director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, commented:
“TheTaxPayers’ Alliance has always believed that key to delivering taxpayer value for money is exposing those in power to public scrutiny by ensuring that there is transparency and openness in how they spend our hard-earned cash. These new monthly awards will seek both to expose politicians’ worst excesses and recognise those who have tried to do the right thing by taxpayers.
“At a time when all public bodies are having to look for savings, a number of councils have recognised that organising or attending costly awards ceremonies is unjustifiable. But Glasgow City Council is not one of them; so given their penchant for awards, its leader, Gordon Matheson, deserves a gong of his own as the TPA’s first ever Pinhead of the Month for spending over £82,000 of hard-pressed council taxpayers’ money on these frivolous events.
“The TPA’s inaugural Pin-Up of the Month, Defence Minister Andrew Robathan, has done exactly what any minister should be doing: rooting our waste in his department to save taxpayers’ money. It is shocking that £120,000 was being spent on satellite TV that no-one was watching and good to know that this has now been rectified.”