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This week, the latest TPA research landed, and itâs fair to say it made quite a splash. Courtesy of our chairman, and former treasury economist, Mike Denham, the hard-hitting paper revealed the shocking growth in the number of civil servants since 2016.Â
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Between March 2016 and March 2023 the number of civil servants increased by 101,440, a jump of 24.2 per cent and the largest increase in at least half a century. Whilst an increase was likely in the wake of the Brexit vote and the Covid pandemic, that the numbers have continued to balloon since March 2022 is a kick in the teeth for taxpayers. These shocking figures mean the annual salary bill for full-time staff has increased by an eye-watering 60 per cent, rising from ÂŁ9.7 billion to ÂŁ15.5 billion.
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Our research, which you can read in full here, dominated the news agenda. As well as being splashed across the front page of the Daily Telegraph, prominent write-ups in the Times, Daily Mail, Sun, Express, Yorkshire Post, Spectator, and Herald meant it was hard to pick up a paper and not see it. With so much coverage in print, it was unsurprising that the broadcasters wanted a slice of the action.Â
Our head of campaigns, Elliot Keck, kicked things off on GB News. Appearing live in the studio, Elliot explained to viewers across the country: âItâs becoming far, far more focussed on things like social research, economics, and policy, and not on operational roles which are the frontline delivery services. So what weâre seeing is a civil service that is increasingly out of step with the priorities of both voters and taxpayers.â
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Delving into the details, TPA policy analyst, Tom Ryan, took part in a Times Radio debate about our findings. Tom rightly argued: âThe increase has been truly enormous⊠To put it down to Brexit and Covid, certainly those are things which require a certain amount of capacity, but what weâve seen is that the increase has continued even after Covid measures have been wound down.âÂ
And as if that wasnât enough, John OâConnell, our chief executive, appeared on TalkTV with Alex Phillips. John didnât mince his words when he called out the enormous costs involved for taxpayers: âWith all of these new entrants into the public sector, you see big pay increases, you also see huge pensions being given out that people in the private sector would never get in their own walk of life. Itâs not just a bill for today, itâs a bill for tomorrowâs taxpayers with a huge pension liability.â
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With the growth in senior management and cutbacks to the number of âoperational deliveryâ (frontline) staff, itâs no surprise that hard-pressed Brits have had enough! The bloated bureaucracy in Whitehall must be brought under control and turned into a more dynamic service, focussed on delivering for taxpayers.Â
Without the generosity of our supporters, this kind of agenda-setting research wouldnât be possible. To all of you who have kindly donated to the TPA in the past, thank you! Only with your help can we continue to press for the efficient and dynamic public sector we deserve. Will you back the TPA today by clicking here to donate?
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On the same day that our research was hitting the headlines, our team hit the road for the final leg of this yearâs Town Hall Rich List Roadshow. Setting up our stall in Sunderland, residents were shocked to learn that the executive director of neighbourhoods received a mega ÂŁ573,500 in 2021/22, the second highest amount paid to any council official in the country.Â
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Voting in our highly scientific poll (ping pong balls in pots), local taxpayers were united in their opposition to this princely pay packet.Â
TPA intern, Olivia OâMahony, brings us her reflections on this yearâs roadshow in a blog post. As Olivia observes, whether it was Guildford or Sheffield, Cardiff or Sunderland, âeverywhere we went we found the same basic messages - taxpayers are not happy, and councils are not listening.â
Whilst this may be the end of the 2023 rich list roadshow, local council bosses should be in no doubt that the TPA wonât hesitate to pay them a visit if they donât get their act together!Â
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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The stonking ÂŁ100 million daily ULEZ bill
As Sadiq Khanâs controversial ULEZ scheme continues to face fierce opposition, our team have been crunching the numbers to work out how much it would cost motorists if the ULEZ was rolled out across the country. The result? Motorists would be faced with a massive ÂŁ100 million bill every day under a nationwide ULEZ.
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As John explained to the Sun: âThese costly levies make cash cows of low-paid drivers who canât afford to upgrade their vehicles.â
Our media campaign manager, Conor Holohan, followed up on GB News blasting: âMotorists at the moment are often the favourite punching bag of people, say in whitehall or metropolitan centres, who are able to use world class public transport networks⊠Some people have to use their cars for work and unfortunately theyâre in for a pounding.â
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Itâs clear these schemes will hammer the households and businesses who can least afford it. Itâs time to slam the breaks on ULEZ!
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How Net Zero is harming the worldâs poorest
Continuing our Global Quangos Uncovered campaign, exposing the role and costs of international bodies, Tom has taken a look at how Net Zero targets, and in particular the UKâs devotion to them, are having a damaging effect on some of the worldâs poorest countries.Â
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In an op-ed for Spiked, Tom explains: âFor several years now, the UK government has promoted Net Zero at home and abroad with a fanaticism reminiscent of Just Stop Oil activists⊠In most recent years, more of our aid budget is spent via global quangos like the UN than on direct aid to foreign countries. These supranational bodies are also deep in the Net Zero mire.â You can read Tomâs op-ed in full here.
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Global Quangos Uncovered: The World Bank
In this weekâs blog, TPA intern, Callum McGoldrick, continues our series looking at global quangos, this time shining a light on the World Bank, exploring its origins and how âmission creepâ has morphed it into an entirely different beast from that originally envisaged.
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As Callum observes, having been established to provide loans for reconstruction and development, âThe body now lists two priorities in its mission statement: to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity in a sustainable way. When visiting the âPrioritiesâ section of their website, the number one spot is taken by âClimateâ.â Click here to read Callumâs fascinating blog.
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Benjamin Elks
Operations Manager
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