Hopefully it goes without saying that, here at the TPA, weâre committed to exposing waste and calling out the absurd ways local councils find to squander your cash. But itâs not just how much theyâre spending or how much theyâre taking (donât click here if you want to keep on enjoying your Sunday), itâs also the burden they place on you in order to provide some of their most basic services.
Which is where the latest TPA research 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. Itâs also one thatâs 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 has now been laid bare by the TPA wonks.
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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 itâs 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 OâConnell, our chief executive, weighed in, rightly slamming the madness: âCouncils are placing an enormous burden on households through the mind bogglingly complex system of waste separation.â
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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, Telegraph, Sun, Daily Mail, GB News, LBC, and Daily Star. But it didnât 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.Â
In the Daily Mail, Stephen Glover made our work the focus of his regular column, while in the Express, Carole Malone, blasted: âweâre being made mugs of by greedy councils who Iâm sure will soon be asking us to bring all our rubbish to the depot so as not to bother the binmen.â On GB News, a row erupted between two guests when our research came up. Weâll 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 theyâre yet to be implemented. If ministers want to make life easier for taxpayers, they should put these plans into practice without delay.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Bad news on borrowing
Well, it only took a month for the new Labour government to send the borrowing figures up. It shouldnât come as a surprise given how happily theyâve splashed the cash but the numbers are staggering. In July, the UK borrowed ÂŁ3.1 billion, a whole ÂŁ3 billion more than the OBR expected, and ÂŁ1.8 billion more than July last year.
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John didnât hold back when he spoke to the Daily Mail: âTaxpayers 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.â With the clock ticking on our monstrous national debt, itâs time for politicians to get real on spending.
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The war on motorists continues
There seems to be no let up in the ways weâre 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.Â
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Sitting down for a wide ranging conversation with Talkâs Petrie Hosken, our investigations campaign manager, Joanna Marchong, came to the defence of persecuted car drivers: âItâs a real war on motorists here. Itâs almost like a âget rich quickâ scheme by councils to try and fleece taxpayers of more money.â Itâs time authorities stopped targeting hard-working Brits and focussed on getting their own houses in order.
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Foreign aid for rich regions
Few would argue against providing aid as part of disaster relief, but when we learned that taxpayersâ 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.
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Venting his anger to the Express, John spoke for the nation: âTaxpayers 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.â Hear, hear!
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Wales urgently needs a war on waste
This weekâs blog 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 TPAâs call for politicians to wage a war on waste, Andrew brings us some shocking examples of taxpayersâ cash being squandered and digs into how such behaviour have been allowed to happen.
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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 which ought to be going on frontline services. As Andrew rightly says: âWelsh 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.â Letâs hope other members of the Senedd are paying attention.
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As mentioned above, this week Joanna brings us the news that ÂŁ130,000 is being dished out to instruct Welsh librarians about the dangers of⌠racist buildings. Yep, thatâs a thing apparently. Click here to find out more.
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Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager
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