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You may have noticed that we’ve been talking quite a bit about the national debt recently, and in particular our online debt clock. Having launched six weeks ago, the tool was a hit with the media and public alike. But of course, we couldn’t leave it there.
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That’s why this week, we took the clock from the computer screen and into the streets. We kicked things off with a whistle stop tour through Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Orpington, and Purley.Â
We spoke to dozens of people but, wherever we went, the reaction was the same - shock. Shock at the sheer scale of the debt, shock at how quickly it goes up, shock at the amount spent just servicing the interest each year (over ÂŁ100 billion) and shock that so few of the politicians in Westminster seem interested in talking about it, let alone dealing with it.Â
In Tonbridge, we were joined by Cllr Matt Boughton, leader of Tonbridge and Malling borough council. Matt hit the nail on the head, saying: “Every pound spent servicing our national debt is one less being spent on the frontline services people rely on. It’s important that all levels of government get their spending under control.” To his credit, Tonbridge and Malling is one of the few debt free councils in the country.
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We’re not done yet. The van mounted clock will be putting in some more appearances over the coming weeks as we visit other parts of the country. The national debt is an issue of national importance and we won’t rest until those running up the credit card bill start paying attention to it.
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Just in case you were wondering, in the eight hours we were on the road the debt increased by ÂŁ127,008,000.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Public sector pay packets
Speaking of getting a grip on spending this new government seems more than happy to splash the cash. One of their first announcements on coming to office was to dole out bumper pay rises for public sector workers.Â
What you might be surprised to learn though, and as revealed by the latest TPA research, including both wages and employer pension contributions, total remuneration rose by 63 per cent for public sector workers between 2009 and 2024, 8.8 percentage points higher than inflation which was 54.2 per cent in that same period. Speaking to the Telegraph, John O’Connell, our chief executive, rightly said: “In future pay rounds, ministers should be considering public sector pay packets in the round, and should be insisting that future pay rises are dependent on moving public sector workers onto more affordable pension schemes.”
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Following up on BBC Radio Ulster, TPA researcher, Shimeon Lee, explained to listeners: “Public sector pensions are in dire need of reform… they’re unfunded, they’re unfair, and they’re unsustainable.” Hear hear!
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Labour’s smoking ban plans are the thin end of the wedge
With reports flying that ministers might ban smoking in outdoor places like beer gardens and parks, Joanna Marchong, our investigations manager, used an op-ed for ConservativeHome to call out this latest attack on individual liberty.
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Cutting to the heart of the issue, Joanna rightly warns: “If the Government can justify banning smoking for future generations and in beer gardens, what’s to stop them from applying the same logic to other legal but unhealthy behaviours? Will summer BBQs be banned because people will inhale too much harmful smoke? Will sugar be outright banned in a few years? Will salt?” Have a read here.
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More sin taxes coming?
As if to prove Joanna’s point, we learnt on Friday that the government is considering new sugar and salt taxes.
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Our head of research, Darwin Friend, didn’t hesitate in slamming this latest nannying nonsense in the Telegraph: “Taxpayers will be concerned at yet another case of meddling that will hit the poorest families hardest, as this levy would hike up the costs of everyday essentials.”Â
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University tuition fees reform
With students heading off to universities over the next few weeks, in this week’s blog, Shimeon has taken a look at the pressures on university finances and how the current fee system should be reformed.
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As Shimeon rightly says: “In order to deliver better value for taxpayers, loans should be contingent on programmes meeting specific graduate outcome criteria. If a degree does not make a student better off, taxpayers should not subsidise it. Making the actual cost of these degrees clear to students will encourage them to pick an alternative path that is more likely to lead to greater employment opportunities and financial security.”
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You might think that washing your hands is just one of those things we all learn how to do as children, so if you want to know how we’ve spent £300,000 teaching kids how, then watch Joanna’s video above.
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Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager
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