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What a load of rubbish… bins
Hopefully it goes without saying that, here at the TPA, we’re committed to exposing waste and calling out the absurd ways local councils find to squander your cash. But it’s not just how much they’re spending or how much they’re taking (don’t click here if you want to keep on enjoying your Sunday ([link removed]) ), it’s also the burden they place on you in order to provide some of their most basic services.

Which is where the latest TPA research ([link removed]) comes in. One of the most fundamental responsibilities of town halls is the collection of rubbish. It is probably the service most of us interact with most often, and one of the most frustrating when it goes wrong. It’s also one that’s become far more complicated in recent years. Of course, the days of simply popping everything in one bin are long gone and most people agree with recycling more, but the proliferation of bins that councils force their residents to sort rubbish into ([link removed]) has now been laid bare by the TPA wonks.
Our team sensationally revealed that some councils, Blaenau Gwent, Cotswold and Merthyr Tydfil, all force residents to sort their rubbish into 10 different types of bin while 56 councils collected six or more bins. In total, eleven bin types were recorded from councils across the UK: general waste, dry mixed recycling, food waste, paper and card, garden waste, glass, plastics, batteries, textiles, waste electrical and electronic equipment and coffee pods. Credit where it’s due to Gosport who manage to make do with just two different bins.

While the national average came in at four (though my own council has five - boo), Wales stormed ahead with six bins on average per council. Even worse, 70 per cent of councils are now imposing extra charges for some collections like garden waste! Naturally, John O’Connell, our chief executive, weighed in, rightly slamming the madness: “Councils are placing an enormous burden on households through the mind bogglingly complex system of waste separation.”
Despite the topic, the coverage our findings got was anything but rubbish. The national media went absolutely mad for it with our report written up in the Times ([link removed]) , Telegraph ([link removed]) , Sun ([link removed]) , Daily Mail ([link removed]) , GB News ([link removed]) , LBC ([link removed]) , and Daily Star. But it didn’t stop there. Catching the attention of opinion writers and tv talking heads, the news took on a life of its own and became a national talking point.

In the Daily Mail, Stephen Glover made our work the focus of his regular column ([link removed]) , while in the Express, Carole Malone, blasted ([link removed]) : “we’re being made mugs of by greedy councils who I’m sure will soon be asking us to bring all our rubbish to the depot so as not to bother the binmen.” On GB News, a row erupted between two guests ([link removed]) when our research came up. We’ll leave it to you to decide who came out on top.
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Will the madness ever end? Well, the last government announced changes to make it easier for councils to force fewer bins on residents but they’re yet to be implemented. If ministers want to make life easier for taxpayers, they should put these plans into practice without delay.

You can support the TPA’s agenda setting research by clicking here to donate ([link removed])
TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
Bad news on borrowing

Well, it only took a month for the new Labour government to send the borrowing figures up. It shouldn’t come as a surprise given how happily they’ve splashed the cash but the numbers are staggering ([link removed]) . In July, the UK borrowed £3.1 billion, a whole £3 billion more than the OBR expected, and £1.8 billion more than July last year.
John didn’t hold back ([link removed]) when he spoke to the Daily Mail: “Taxpayers will be dismayed as Rachel Reeves prioritises public sector pay hikes over economic prudence. The Chancellor claimed she was committed to having debt falling as a share of Britain's GDP but these latest figures show where her real priorities lie.” With the clock ticking on our monstrous national debt ([link removed]) , it’s time for politicians to get real on spending.
The war on motorists continues

There seems to be no let up in the ways we’re pursued for money. Motorists have been targeted for decades but, with the expansion of low traffic neighbourhoods, low emissions zones, 20 mile per hour limits, more and more people are finding themselves having to pay hefty fines ([link removed]) .
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Sitting down for a wide ranging conversation ([link removed]) with Talk’s Petrie Hosken, our investigations campaign manager, Joanna Marchong, came to the defence of persecuted car drivers: “It’s a real war on motorists here. It’s almost like a ‘get rich quick’ scheme by councils to try and fleece taxpayers of more money.” It’s time authorities stopped targeting hard-working Brits and focussed on getting their own houses in order.
Foreign aid for rich regions

Few would argue against providing aid as part of disaster relief, but when we learned that taxpayers’ money is being doled out for development to places around the world that are richer than parts of the UK, there was fury in the TPA offices.
Venting his anger ([link removed]) to the Express, John spoke for the nation: “Taxpayers will be outraged to see their hard-earned cash doled out to people often better off than themselves… Ministers must ensure aid spending only goes to those truly in need.” Hear, hear!
Blog of the week
Wales urgently needs a war on waste

This week’s blog ([link removed]) comes to us courtesy of Andrew RT Davies, the Conservative leader in Wales and leader of the opposition in the Welsh parliament. Taking up the TPA’s call for politicians to wage a war on waste, Andrew brings us some shocking examples of taxpayers’ cash being squandered and digs into how such behaviour have been allowed to happen.
From racist buildings (see our War on Waste story below) to even increasing the number of politicians, Wales is proving to be a hotbed for pointless spending ([link removed]) which ought to be going on frontline services. As Andrew rightly says: “Welsh taxpayers have a right to expect their hard-earned cash will be spent properly and responsibly. That will only be achieved if the present culture and priorities are brought to a swift and decisive end.” Let’s hope other members of the Senedd are paying attention.

Click to read more ([link removed])
War on Waste
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As mentioned above, this week Joanna brings us the news that £130,000 is being dished out to instruct Welsh librarians about the dangers of… racist buildings. Yep, that’s a thing apparently. Click here to find out more ([link removed]) .

Send me your examples of wasteful public sector spending (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Wasteful%20spending)

Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager

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