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This week, our campaign in South Cambridgeshire received a huge boost when Rishi Sunak took up the TPA’s call for the four-day week experiment to be scrapped! The prime minister was put on the spot by local MP Anthony Browne on Wednesday at Prime Minister’s Questions.
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Citing fresh TPA research, which sensationally revealed that extending the four-day week across the public sector would cost taxpayers a whopping £30 billion in lost time (in light of trade unions demanding the right for their public sector members) Anthony asked the prime minister whether he was opposed to the dodgy experiment in South Cambs.
Not mincing his words, Sunak went on the record saying: “I urge the council to reconsider their decision, because residents and constituents in South Cambridgeshire District Council clearly deserve better.”
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This hugely important moment for our campaign saw TPA research receive widespread coverage in some of Britain’s best selling newspapers. As our findings show, public sector productivity improved by just 4.1 per cent in the 20 years preceding the covid pandemic. The idea that a four-day week will boost productivity by the 14.4 per cent needed to offset the fewer hours worked is laughable. Of course any shortfall would likely be made up by adding even more staff to the public payroll.
The following day, a deep dive from TPA investigations campaign manager Elliot Keck led the widely-read ConservativeHome news bulletin. As Elliot explains in the piece, the four-day week fad is spreading and politicians must show some backbone if they are going to stop it. It’s happening first in South Cambridgeshire, but part time public services could be coming to a council near you very soon!
As we widen our campaign to prepare to fight these battles, your support is more important than ever. Hard pressed taxpayers cannot be expected to shell out so that public sector workers can clock off early. If you’ve not already, be sure to sign and share our petition. If you’re able to, you can also donate to our campaign by clicking here.
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THRL Roadshow - Dorchester
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For the latest leg of our Town Hall Rich List Roadshow, the TPA team headed to sunny Dorchester, home of Dorset council. Enjoying our ‘play your cards right’ style game, where we asked people to guess the amounts given to council bosses, local residents were shocked to learn of the bumper pay packets being dished out. With 23 members of staff receiving over £100,000 in 2021/2022, Dorset topped the table in the South West.
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In a few weeks time, we’ll be hitting the road again and heading to Sheffield, where the council’s chief executive received over £240,000! Watch this space for details of when we’ll be visiting a town centre near you.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Green grants
The net zero agenda seems to be at the heart of every government initiative. With the goal has come a swathe of funding schemes and grants to try and achieve it. With ordinary Brits increasingly baffled by the multitude of handouts, it’s no surprise the Daily Telegraph sought out our input.
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John O’Connell, our chief executive, blasted the overcomplicated setup, saying: “The alphabet soup of grants and schemes means taxpayers are stumping up for programmes that many people don’t realise even exist.”
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Lights out in Cornwall
Funnily enough, one way to save energy and protect the planet is to turn off the lights! Whilst switching a light off may seem like the simplest of tasks, it appears that staff at Cornwall council now require specialist training to do it. Staff will soon be taught how to ensure lights aren’t left on after an office building was left “lit up like a Christmas tree”.
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Speaking to GB News, our digital campaign manager, Joe Ventre, summed the situation up perfectly saying: “Taxpayers will take a dim view of council staff needing training to switch lights off.”
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Working in the comfort of a civil servant’s home
It emerged this week that the department for levelling up, housing and communities has agreed to dish out £160,000 for home office furniture for bureaucrats who refuse to return to the office full time.
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John was quick to call out the shoddy situation, telling Daily Mail readers: “It's unbelievable departments are still forking out taxpayers' cash to furnish home offices.” If government offices will continue to lay empty, they should be sold off without delay.
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Is Labour ready to win over taxpayers?
It’s been a funny old week, with ITV power couple Holly and Phil collapsing in a spectacular public row and Boris Johnson reported for covid breaches by his own defence lawyers. But even stranger, senior Labour figures have been heard admitting the NHS needs reform and extolling the benefits of the free market!
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In this week’s blog, Joe looks at the big speeches from Keir Starmer on the health services and from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves on her economic policy, and asks if Labour are taking taxpayers seriously. Sadly, as he concludes: “Taxpayers will need to hear a lot more to be convinced that either party really cares about cutting the record tax burden.”
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MP’s expense claims can sometimes reveal shocking abuses of taxpayers’ money. But TPA staff were in disbelief to hear of SNP MP, Chris Stephens, who billed the public to have his phone couriered to London from Glasgow after he left it at home.
Our media campaign manager, Conor Holohan, slammed the salacious expense claim saying: “ Taxpayers should not be on the hook for the cost of Mr Stephens' brain-fade.”
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Benjamin Elks
Operations Manager
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