This week we exposed the astronomical number of London City Hall bosses enjoying six-figure salaries at taxpayers' expense. Dubbed the City Hall Rich List our research team revealed that 654 employees of the Greater London Authority and its various offshoots received pay packets in excess of £100,000 in 2018-19.
Transport for London (TfL) had 518 staff taking home wages of over £100,000. Of these, 114 were paid more than £150,000. TfL boss Michael Brown topped the rich list enjoying a taxpayer funded wage slip to the tune of £508,301! This comes just weeks after TfL received a £1.6 billion bailout from the taxpayer, saying emergency funding was required to prevent it going bust.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, reaped in more than £150,000 in salary, bonuses and benefits. But it doesn't end there. Incredibly, 16 of his staff got more than £100,000. Meanwhile, Londoners have seen their average council tax precept increase by 9 per cent in the last four years. Click here to find out more about City Hall fat cats.
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Our report received so much media coverage that it's fair to say every ratepayer in London heard or read about it. Notable highlights include the Daily Star, Daily Telegraph, LBC and talkRadio.
In fact, talkRadio presenter Mike Graham was so incensed by these sky-high salaries that he tore up his notes live on air when speaking to my colleague Sam Packer. But he didn't stop there! The following day Mike discussed the report with London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey. Both highlighted how ridiculous these salaries are especially in the light of so many failures by TfL on Crossrail.
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These stupendous salaries are a huge burden on ratepayers across the capital. London has many talented public servants working hard to keep the capital running. But the massive rise in 'premier league' pay packets suggests Sadiq's City Hall is far more expensive than it needs to be.
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How to secure economic recovery
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There was very worrying but expected news from the Office for National Statistics which reported the biggest fall in GDP since records began at 20.4 per cent. The coronavirus is having a devastating impact on the whole of the British economy but there will be light at the end of the tunnel if the government takes bold action.
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As we laid out last week, trying to tax and spend our way out of this would be madness. Now is not the time for taxpayer austerity. Instead we urgently need to create a leaner, more efficient tax system to help Britain bounce back and give us growth, investment and jobs to spur on the recovery. Read our five tax reforms that will make this possible.
Our reforms continue to receive national press attention, being seen by millions in the process. We will keep fighting for taxpayers and make sure politicians in Westminster heed our calls.
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Want to pay more tax? Be our guest!
This week, grassroots assistant Kieran Neild exposed the hypocrisy of those who say they would willingly pay more tax but refuse to do so when offered the chance. Instead, they insist we should all pay more despite already having a 50-year high tax burden. Members of the public are free to pay more tax, anyone can make a donation to HMRC but only 200 people between 2000 and 2017 have actually done so.
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Using a brilliant analogy, Kieran rightly calls out those who claim they want to pay more tax but actually want everyone else to pick up the tab: “A voluntary tax contribution option on NIC forms and tax returns would allow virtue-signallers to put their money where their mouth is and save the rest of us from a tax-hike. This would not be too dissimilar to a gratuity option on a restaurant bill, leaving the onus on the individuals to make the transaction. If you think your waiter was excellent and deserves more than his wage, you leave a tip. You don’t run around the restaurant bullying other diners to cough up for you.” Click here to read more.
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What the public sector can learn from the army
Often, when politicians lose control of events, or need something serious done, they call in the army. At times of crisis, the British army is the go-to for disaster and security relief operations in the UK. As we saw recently their brilliance at building the NHS Nightingale hospitals was awe-inspiring.
TPA policy analyst Jeremy Hutton argues problem solving isn't something the public sector is renowned for. However in the army a "can-do attitude" and "determination to overcome problems are a core component of the armed forces." He calls on bodies such as Public Health England to learn from the military in order to better deal with future crises. Click here to read more.
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A symbolic waste of money
Ashford Borough Council has spent over £6,000 on a single sign for a local park. It’s part of a regeneration project that was previously put on hold due to the coronavirus crisis. It seems the council has foolishly decided to prioritise non-essential spending and appearances over the best interests of taxpayers.
Local authority chiefs defended the cost of the ornate sign by claiming it symbolises the town’s “economic recovery” after lockdown. The only thing it symbolises to ratepayers is a waste of money especially after a council tax rise of nearly 4 per cent this year.
Ashford council claims it reduced spending in other areas in order to buy the sign. Perhaps one saving they should consider is reining in the chief executive’s pay package of £137,000. It's a worrying sign of the times if council bosses think such extravagance is the best use of taxpayers' cash.
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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