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This week we were greeted by shrill warnings from a group of top-tier councils that they were on the brink of bankruptcy. New analysis from the County Councils Network (CCN), which represents a range of top-tier local authorities, claimed many were “running out of road” to avoid insolvency. Naturally, we were quick out the blocks, channelling the frustrations of taxpayers about the “annual excuses for why some town hall bosses are unable to keep the books in order.” And speaking on TalkRadio, head of campaigns Elliot Keck poured some much needed scepticism on the claims.
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Chatting with Petrie Hoskin, Elliot argued that “this is a negotiating tactic. For every year for the last few years we’ve seen the same group of councils issue very shrill warnings… it’s just a way to squeeze a bit more money out of the government.”. Of course many councils are facing difficulties, and there have been some shocking collapses in town hall finances. And as we revealed last week, the true scale of the problem is unknown. Almost 100 councils failed to publish their annual accounts in 2022/23, adding to a total of 658 overdue documents since 2019. One of the worst is Gravesham, which failed to publish any accounts in the last four financial years. Our team just had to pay them a visit.
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The TPA’s Elliot Keck, Joe Ventre and Penny Hampden-Turner set up shop outside the council headquarters in Gravesend with a sign asking “what are they hiding” and spoke to local residents about their findings. Speaking to camera in a video out next week, Penny argued that councils who can’t reveal how they spend your money should be restricted from hiking rates.Â
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Personal freedom going up in smoke?
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It’s no secret that the nanny state is on the rise, and it often feels like smokers are made to bear the greatest burden - whether that be through arbitrary taxes or bans which limit personal autonomy. With the recently announced smoking ban which aims at creating a “smoke-free generation” bringing these issues to the forefront again, we spoke to Simon Clark, director of smokers’ rights group Forest, for the latest episode of TPA Talks.
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In this in-depth interview, Simon offers his thoughts on everything from tobacco taxation to the rise of policies designed to quash personal freedoms, supposedly, for our own good. As Simon is keen to stress, the war on smokers should concern non-smokers too, warning that “at the moment smokers are an easy target, but one day it will be something that you enjoy!"
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Cracking down on council fat cats
In a potential major victory for council taxpayers, levelling up secretary Michael Gove is reportedly seeking to implement measures which would see six figure council remuneration deals put to a vote. As Gove explained to his cabinet colleagues: “Excessive salaries in local government should be limited by ensuring oversight of senior pay.”
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Reacting to these reports, our chief executive, John O’Connell told The Sun: "This is a step in the right direction for controlling top level pay in councils. Town hall bosses have seen pay packets surge for years without democratic oversight."
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The secret costs of ULEZÂ
Sadiq Khan’s expanded ULEZ has proved to be extremely unpopular in London, to the extent that many cameras and vans involved in enforcing the scheme have been vandalised. This week it emerged that Transport for London had refused to say how much they have had to spend replacing this equipment, claiming that releasing this information could encourage further instances of vandalism.Â
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This determination to cover up the costs will only add fuel to the fire. As TPA researcher Jonathan Eida told the Mail: “Taxpayers deserve to know the full cost of Ulez.”
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Stop the clock off
Our campaign to put a stop to local councils working part-time hours for full-time wages continues to garner national coverage. This week, Elliot Keck talked to Talk TV’s Peter Cardwell about the ongoing crisis in South Cambridgeshire.
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Elliot told Peter what a four-week really represents: “A simple reduction in hours that staff are being worked. It’s essentially a pay rise of about 20 per cent.”
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Taxing times
Concerning news came to us from Southampton, when it was revealed that Southampton City Council issued 13,522 summonses regarding non-payment of council tax in 2022. This year, the authority raised council tax by a whopping five per cent.
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Jonathan told the Southern Daily Echo that, while some late payments may be simple criminality, there’s a growing number of residents who are genuinely struggling with the cost of living. He added: "The council should give households a breather and freeze rates."
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The ÂŁ100 million question: Is the covid inquiry just expensive theatre?
The covid inquiry was back in action (of sorts) this week, looking at decision-making and political governance. It certainly made for some entertaining viewing, but as Elliot points out in his blog this week, it’s not entertainment that taxpayers are paying potentially £100 million for. They want answers.
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As Elliot writes, “No one doubts the necessity of a thorough examination of what took place during those turbulent times, and what the long term consequences of decisions made have been.” But if the inquiry continues in this way, Elliot continues, it won’t be long before taxpayers are “asking what the returns policy is for the £100 million fee they’re being forced to cough up.”
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Councils have finally launched a war on waste. Although it’s of the wrong kind. This week it emerged that local authority spending on waste collection and disposal actually decreased by 3.3 per cent in 2021/22, despite waste volumes increasing post-Covid.Â
To avoid making difficult decisions on pet projects and senior salaries, councils are taking the axe to genuinely key services.
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Benjamin Elks
Operations Manager
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