This week, we kicked off our latest campaign - putting a stop to the spread of four day weeks in the public sector. While some may like the idea of fewer working days, testing these unproven schemes on the taxpayers’ dime is not acceptable.
South Cambridgeshire district council have taken the leap and are gifting the equivalent of 52 extra days of annual leave to back office staff! Having trialled the new arrangement since January, bosses plan to extend it at a meeting on 15th May.
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The council claims that of its 16 key performance indicators (KPIs), nine have shown improvements. What they don’t say, and what TPA analysis has uncovered, is that compared to pre-pandemic performance, only 5 KPIs saw genuine improvement with 10 getting worse and 1 staying the same. Tellingly, one of the measures which has declined is the time it takes staff to answer the phone… Hardly a ringing endorsement! And all this from a council where, as the TPA revealed, less than ten per cent of staff are coming into the office regularly.Â
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Our campaign’s already got national attention with write ups in the Telegraph, Mail, and Spectator, as well as the backing of the local MP. Investigative journalists followed our lead and jumped straight on the case. When it emerged that the chief executive of the council is writing a PhD thesis on the effects of a four-day week, our investigations manager, Elliot Keck, slammed the scheme in the Daily Mail, telling readers: “Residents will be furious that their council is being used as a guinea pig. The chief executive now has very serious questions to answer about her motivations”
Conor Holohan, our media campaign manager followed up on TalkTV, explaining to viewers: “There’s a danger with this sort of experiment, that because they’re hailing it as such a success with these fiddled numbers, then it’s going to spread to other parts of the country!”
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Unfortunately, it seems Conor is right and where South Cambridgeshire leads, Oxford follows. There are calls for Oxford city council to follow suit and instigate their own trial. That’s why we’re calling on you, our supporters, to sign our petition and help put a stop to these schemes before they spread further across the public sector. Click here to sign.
We’ll soon be hitting the road and taking our message directly to residents and councillors alike in South Cambridgeshire. But we can only keep these campaigns going with your help. If you can chip in today, click here to donate.
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Town Hall Rich List Roadshow 2023
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Following the release of our bombshell Town Hall Rich List a couple of weeks ago, we’re getting ready to launch 2023’s Roadshow. We’ll be visiting towns across the country, talking to local taxpayers about what their council is getting up to.
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First up is Guildford, where the managing director received total remuneration of ÂŁ607,000 in 2021/2022. If you’d like to come along and meet the team, click here to get in touch.Â
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Fraud failings
With ÂŁ5.5 billion doled out through covid Bounce Back Loans now in arrears, defaulted or lost to suspected fraud, an investigation has exposed the lenient punishments being handed down to those who swindled taxpayers.
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While 459 people were banned from being company directors in the last financial year for ripping off the scheme, just six have been prosecuted for fraud. Our chief executive, John O’Connell, slammed the situation in the Daily Mirror saying: “While ministers had to act quickly during the Covid crisis, taxpayers have been left on the hook for Whitehall’s failure to implement safeguards.” As we said at the time, the government must come down hard on those who fiddled the system!
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Fruity duty
Another week another call for more taxes. This time, former chancellor George Osborne decided orange juice needed to be made more expensive with the sugar tax extended to humble fruit juices.
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Slapping down the latest proposal that would surely leave a bitter taste in the mouth, Conor told the Daily Mail: “The current sugar tax is ineffectually designed, economically harmful and morally questionable, and a tax on orange juice would be exactly the same.”
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Costly crossing
The TPA was shocked to learn this week that over £800 million has been spent on the proposed lower Thames crossing before a spade has hit the ground. With 63,000 pages of plans for the project, it’s clearly unacceptable that work hasn’t started and the project is even being delayed.
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John hit the nail on the head when he spoke to The Times, reminding readers this is a familiar tale: “Excessive bureaucracy and constant delays have become depressingly familiar features of public sector infrastructure projects. As well as costing taxpayers a fortune, they are a major drag on productivity and economic growth.”Â
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Raising a glass to the coronation
In this week’s blog, tax and trade policy manager of the British Beer and Pub Association, Morgan Shondelmeier, explores the background and benefits of the Great British Pub on this coronation weekend.
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As Morgan says: “despite the treasured place pubs hold in our imagination, the tax and regulatory system are making life hard. High alcohol duty (one of the highest in Europe), strict licensing hours and exorbitant energy costs are all weighing down the industry.” Hopefully this celebratory weekend we’re all doing our bit to support our irreplaceable pubs!
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Euston, we have a problem
Having long warned about the extraordinary waste of taxpayers’ money that is HS2, we were naturally unsurprised (if somewhat dismayed) by the latest careless cash spending.Â
Nearly ÂŁ300 million has been squandered on plans for Euston station which will now be redrawn following delays to the scheme. Ministers must bring an end to the HS2 white elephant!
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The TPA team joins the nation in celebrating the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla!
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Benjamin Elks
Operations Manager
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