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TPA Victory! Council boss resigns after damning report
Supporters may recall the case of Karen Whelan, chief executive at Surrey Heath Borough Council. She made it into this year's Town Hall Rich List ([link removed]) with remuneration of £197,000. Part of this pay package included a colossal and unwarranted pay rise of £46,000 which came to light last summer. Appearing on local television and radio ([link removed]) we called for an investigation - the subsequent report ([link removed]) has recently been released to the public.

Ms Whelan resigned ([link removed]) a week ahead of publication and it's obvious why she did. The report found that payments made to her were “unlawful” and “unprecedented”. Although heavily redacted, the report details that in addition to her bumper pay rise, she billed the taxpayer for stays at luxury 5-star hotels in Manchester and London to the tune of more than £1,000.

The report and Ms Whelan's resignation is a significant victory for taxpayers. Accountability in local government is vital and we hope other councils will take heed from these findings. We are not going to stand for such a disgraceful use of public money. Any public servant who fails to meet the high standards expected of them should be given their P45.
Ashfield council "on another planet"
Sticking with councils that waste money, Ashfield District Council are set to spend more than £31,000 a year on a new "political assistant". According to the council ([link removed]) the role involves, "Provision of long-term political support for the Leadership to ensure horizon scanning and enable strategic policy development".

Political assistants are used by some councils to undertake research and provide administrative support for political groups. They are supposed to be politically independent when advising council members.

However, with the country in the grips of the coronavirus crisis, the council must be on another planet to believe spending tens of thousands of pounds on a political lackey is the best use of taxpayers' cash.
The TaxPayers' Alliance has previously campaigned against soaring costs of local government ([link removed]) in Ashfield and Mansfield. We are currently investigating the cost of political assistants to the taxpayer. Our initial findings suggest that Ashfield is the only district/borough council to approve the hire of taxpayer-funded political assistants in Nottinghamshire.

Locals have suffered yet another year of inflation-busting council tax rises and deserve better use of their hard-earned money.

Has your council hired political assistants? (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Political%20assistants)
TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
Rebooting Britain after coronavirus

Tim Wallace, deputy economics editor at The Daily Telegraph, has written a thought-provoking article aboutwhether tax cuts will boost Britain's economy after lockdown ([link removed]) . Our research director Duncan Simpson was consulted for his expertise on National Insurance, saying:

“All National Insurance payments could be suspended for a short period of time, either during the summer or autumn. To do that for one month would save all workers – full-time, part-time and the self-employed – over £12bn. When the Government somewhat whimsically announced the elimination of £13.4bn in (some) NHS debt, such a figure does not seem so unreasonable.”
In a similar vein Duncan wrote an in-depth article for CapX arguing that the country needs a bold plan to ensure economic recovery ([link removed]) following the pandemic. He examines how a combination of tax and spending cuts can shorten the length of a recession. On the spending side he writes:

"...there are obvious targets like the cancellation of HS2, in spite of the recent and tin-eared decision to issue the notice to proceed. Likewise, substantial portions of the aid budget must be redirected to fighting the virus, to help pay to cover some of the clear strain on the NHS and social care."
Do you think the government should cut taxes and spending after the coronavirus? (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Should%20the%20government%20cut%20taxes%20after%20coronavirus%3F)
Fit for a prince?

Following the departure of Duke and Duchess of Sussex to North America the couple said they would reimburse taxpayers for £2.4 million of renovations at Frogmore Cottage which they will no longer use as a home. That was back in January and to date it remains unclear how and when the money will be repaid.
The Daily Mail is ramping up the pressure on the Sussexes ([link removed]) to repay the bill and asked for comment our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre told reporter James Gant:

"Taxpayers would welcome news of the Sussexes returning the funds used to renovate Frogmore Cottage to the public purse. The Royals are granted public money in accordance with their duties. Given Harry and Meghan have chosen to forfeit those duties and live abroad as private citizens, it is only right that they now seek to cover the costs themselves."
Blogs of the week
We have four fantastic blogs to perfectly round off your Sunday. Grassroots assistant Kieran Neild has penned two excellent pieces. FIrstly, he analyses whether calls for a National Food Service ([link removed]) (owing to coronavirus) are justified. Kieran argues such calls are based on a "misconception that supermarket shelves are empty and supplies depleted. In reality, supply chains are functioning well and are continuing to meet the increased demand."

To celebrate St George's day his second blog discusses the noble tradition of English liberty ([link removed]) . He writes, "Generations have enjoyed its protection and fought valiantly to defend it, and it has been our single greatest export. It has inspired nations to seek independence from tyranny, establish constitutions that protect freedom and allow everyone to live under the rule of law."
Writing her first blog for the TPA, our development manager Milly Skriczka has delved further into news that MPs will be able to claim up to £10,000 on working from home expenses during the current pandemic. It is unlikely that members will claim such a large amount but as Milly writes, "Every penny parliamentarians spend comes from taxpayers, and we should not let them forget it. After all, the public will be watching them like a hawk", and so will the TPA. Read her blog in full here. ([link removed])

At a local level, Joe Ventre has written up the tale of a disastrous series of events involving Cardiff council and bendy buses. He charts how poor decision making by the council ended up costing taxpayers at least £14 million and now the buses sit idle in a depot in Harlow. Read the whole sorry saga here. ([link removed])
War on waste

Bristol City Council is set to spend nearly £12 million ([link removed]) installing road signs, cameras and enforcement systems as part of a new clean air zone. Under the council's proposed plans vehicles that don't meet certain emissions standards would have to pay up to £100 a day to drive into the city centre. Additionally, all privately owned diesel cars would be banned from entering between 7am and 3pm each day. All this comes after a council tax increase of 3.99 per cent for Bristol ratepayers.

The TPA has repeatedly campaigned against these stealth taxes ([link removed]) , notably in Southampton where we defeated the council's plans. We're all for cleaner air but taxes are not the best way to go about it. Bristol council also has plans to introduce a workplace parking levy which we fought against last year ([link removed]) .

Clean air zones are nothing more than a tax which our research suggests ([link removed]) do little to improve air quality. In the midst of the current crisis it seems ridiculous that the council is splashing millions on such a scheme. They would be better off dedicating funds to much needed health and social care services.

Let me know if your town or city is planning to introduce a clean air zone. (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Clean%20Air%20Zones)

Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager

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