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Where the TPA leads…
It’s not always easy to tell how effective TPA campaigns are. They can take time. But we’re pretty proud of our record. From our groundbreaking exposés of council boss remuneration first published in 2007 ([link removed]) , which were originally based on Freedom of Information requests but, thanks to our campaigning, became required reporting. Or our revelations of public sector workers moonlighting as trade union officials ([link removed]) which led to legislation showing how much you’re paying for union pilgrims ([link removed]) . They may take time but the efforts of the TPA team are effective.

And after this week, we challenge anyone to say our crusade against the national debt hasn’t caught the national attention.
For months we’ve been shouting to anyone and everyone we’ve met about the dire state of the national finances, specifically the monstrous levels of debt we’ve accrued as a country - and no doubt some of you might be tired of reading about it.

But the debt clock ([link removed]) we launched in July, and the first class data produced by our research team ([link removed]) , has kicked off a national conversation.

First up, the House of Lords economic affairs committee published a report ([link removed]) which raised a “big red flag” about the state of the finances. Chairman of the committee, Lord Bridges, said: “This report highlights a grim reality: our national debt risks developing on an unsustainable path. This has not received the attention it deserves.” You can say that again.

This was followed by the chairman of the OBR warning that the debt could “spiral” out of control and £40 billion of tax rises or spending cuts are needed every decade ([link removed]) . With the tax burden on its way to an 80 year high ([link removed]) and ministers spending £1.2 trillion every year, we know which of those we'd prefer to see!
Having made this issue a national talking point, we’re not letting up. We were back on the road with our van-mounted debt clock, taking the conversation out of Westminster and into the country. Touring the south of England, our team were joined by John Glen MP, shadow paymaster general, who said: “it’s fantastic to have the TPA here in Salisbury to highlight the challenges that the government are not dealing with in terms of the national debt.”

Our work continues. With the budget due in just over six weeks, we’ll be unrelenting in our campaign to make this a priority for the chancellor. The country can’t afford for her to bury her head in the sand.

If you can support our efforts, click here to chip in today ([link removed])
How to solve a problem like healthcare
With this government being unafraid to splash the cash, you can only imagine our concern when Keir Starmer stood up to give a speech on NHS reform. All too often ‘reform’ of the NHS has been a codeword for good money after bad being thrown at our dysfunctional health care system. Naturally, there was relief when the prime minister emphasised that any extra cash will only come with major reforms.

Speaking to City A.M. our chief executive, John O’Connell, cautioned ([link removed]) : “Starmer is spot on to bang the drum for reform but the claim that the health system has had an austere decade will leave taxpayers concerned that he is ultimately going to reach for the same, failed playbook of ever more cash… The prime minister needs to be held to his promise that the bill for these reforms doesn’t end up coming out of the pockets of taxpayers.”
Of course, as part of his plans, and in contrast to his pledge to “tread more lightly” on our lives, Starmer decided to crackdown on the big issues - so called ‘junk food’ advertising announcing plans to ban the adverts before a 9pm watershed. Speaking to the Daily Mail, I called out this latest nanny-state overreach ([link removed]) : “A clampdown on daytime advertising for junk food will do little to tackle obesity and simply hurt businesses and consumer choice. The Government should bin this pointless ban.”
TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
The congested DVSA

Learning to drive and passing your test are a right of passage for many young people (and a few older ones too), but if you’ve tried to book a test recently you might have found yourself in for a lengthy wait. New TPA analysis ([link removed]) has shown that the average wait time across the country is now four months with London the worst affected region coming in at a whopping 23 weeks!
Adding insult to injury, £1.5 million has been paid out to learners by test centres for cancelled exams. Elliot Keck, our head of campaigns, slammed the situation ([link removed]) : “The calamitous quango is not just failing aspiring drivers, it’s costing taxpayers with its incompetence. The country remains heavily dependent on driving, not just as a form of transport but as a key part of many forms of employment, meaning that every cancelled test will be doing serious harm to the economy.”
Taxpayers funding Extinction Rebellion

We’ve all seen the protests, the orange paint, the sit-ins on roads, it’s fair to say the climate protesters are certainly creative in the ways they seek to disrupt the lives of hard-working Brits. But we were shocked to learn that taxpayers are actually subsidising some of these crazy groups. Residents of Bolton council have been left with a £1,134 bill for an Extinction Rebellion ‘climate cafe’ ([link removed]) - whatever that means.
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Speaking to Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk, Elliot spoke for the nation: “I suppose I’d prefer these people to be chatting about vegan cheese rather than what they normally do but the fact that taxpayers’ money is going towards this is absolutely extraordinary.”
One rule for them

This will be a slap in the face to many people this winter. Just as ministers are stripping winter fuel payments from pensioners, they’ve been found to be expensing their own energy bills! ([link removed])
John couldn’t have put it better when he said to the Independent: “Taxpayers are tired of taking lectures from politicians unable to practice what they preach. Failed policies have driven up energy prices to levels that families are struggling to meet, yet MPs are insulated from the soaring costs.”
Blog of the week
Why do we have so many regulators?

I’m sure that readers are well aware that Labour seem to have their work cut out for them, from the £22bn black hole or the major NHS reforms. They make everyone aware that they have a full plate of pressing responsibilities. Thankfully though, even with a full plate, they have time to set up numerous busybody quangos!

This week, our researcher, Callum McGoldrick has written about the proposed football regulator ([link removed]) . The proposal for this football ‘watchdog’ has come with mixed opinions. But Callum reminds us that quangos are all the same, a way for the government to shirk responsibility at an extremely high cost for taxpayers, or impose unwanted regulation without getting their fingers dirty.
Callum is spot on when he says this latest proposal should be shown a red card ([link removed]) : “While the new government rarely lasts five minutes without reminding us of the failures of the previous 14 years, they seem all too keen to keep some of its worst ideas, the football regulator being a prime example.”

Click to read more ([link removed])
War on Waste
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Our investigations campaign manager, Joanna Marchong, is continuing to call out bonkers research. This week she was fired up to talk about £750,000 given to University College London to evaluate the effectiveness of EDI initiatives ([link removed]) . A study of a study…

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

Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager

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