Analysis by the TaxPayers' Alliance has confirmed that councils across the country have made significant savings on printing in the last year. Local authorities spent £41.6 million on printing between April 2020 and February 2021 - that's £31.9 million less than the previous year.
Using freedom of information requests we discovered that 276 out of 295 councils reported a decrease in expenditure. Only 14 saw an increase, with five experiencing no change. The council with the highest printing costs in 2020-21 was Aberdeenshire at £1,248,827. The lowest was £1,759 by Chorley council in Lancashire.
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With over one-third of councils in England charging over £2,000 for a Band D bill, the findings highlight one area where much-needed cost-cutting measures have been made. Reducing printing offers both financial and environmental benefits. Councils should be congratulated for these savings.
We're urging town hall bosses to lock in these reductions for the long term and pass the advantages of staying paperless onto hard-pressed residents.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Analysing the Queen's Speech
Tuesday brought the state opening of parliament and the Queen's Speech which laid out the government's plans for the year ahead. The event was widely covered in the media and our chief executive John O'Connell sat down with talkRadio presenter Kevin O'Sullivan to discuss the government's policies.
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They covered everything from economic recovery to Whitehall's woke agenda. On taxes there were suggestions in the Queen's Speech that more hikes on businesses will pay for the costs of the pandemic. John rightly argued that whilst it's easy for politicians to say that corporations will "pay a little bit more" - ultimately it's consumers and workers that shoulder the burden through higher prices and lower wages. Click here to watch the full interview.
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Re-run of PCC election will cost over £1 million
The police and crime commissioner election in Wiltshire and Swindon is to be re-run after the winning candidate was unable to take up the position. Jonathon Seed failed to declare a historical driving conviction which should have made him ineligible to stand. The cost to the taxpayer of holding the election again is expected to be over £1 million.
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Speaking to ITV local news I expressed my outrage at the revelations, "It's taxpayers that are picking up the tab for politicians' mistakes. Candidates who run for office and cause such a terrible mess should be absolutely ashamed of themselves." Click here to watch the full story.
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MoD fails to hit the target
The Telegraph has discovered that £600,000 of taxpayers' cash went up in smoke after a high-tech missile system unitentionally fell of an RAF jet during a test exercise. Not to be outdone the Royal Navy managed to lose £720,000 worth of sonar equipment at sea.
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I didn't hold back in my comments to Telegraph reporters, "Taxpayers will be spitting feathers at this disgraceful use of their cash. With the tax burden at a 70-year high, defence chiefs can't afford to waste a single penny."
We're putting defence ministers on notice that they must fall into line and get a grip on public sector procurement.
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Tax simplification can prevent tax avoidance
Earlier in the week, the BBC aired a new investigation exposing widespread abuse of the employment allowance by companies using false directors abroad to cheat the system that could be costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds. As our new researcher Tom Ryan writes, taxpayers will be shocked to see how common and close to home this practice has become.
He explains, "In one instance, the BBC identified an individual who was hired to work at a covid testing centre through the recruitment firm ‘HR GO’. ‘John’ subsequently started work at a G4S covid testing site, and knew nothing of this arrangement until he noticed a company name he did not recognise on his payslip.Â
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The TPA has long advocated for the replacement of employer national insurance with a lower flat payroll levy; a change which would plug the gaps exploited by these rogue recruiters on the make. This simple slashing of the tax code would demonstrate that not only do tax cuts generate growth, but they also encourage fair play - a win-win for all taxpayers. Click here to read the full story.
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No light at the end of the tunnel for public sector appointments
High Speed 2 is looking for a new chairman and I’ve thrown my hat into the ring. I have no hope of getting the job but let's dwell on that for a second. How exactly do we know this to be the case?
As I write for the TPA this week I want not just to remind everyone how poorly the project is going but also to expose the ‘closed shop’ nature of public sector appointments. The current system doesn't work, we need a bold and innovative one.
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A new and improved system would bring about an end to the same sorts of people getting these cushy public sector jobs. The seemingly closed shop would be opened up to many people who would not previously have considered putting themselves forward. Read the TPA's plans to shake up public sector appointments.
We need people with the dynamism and skills to get maximum value for taxpayers’ cash before it’s too late. In the meantime, help me send that message.
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Walsall council has come under fire from local taxpayers after splashing public cash on "garish" giant green plant pots for the town centre. Residents have labelled them an "eyesore" which resemble something out of the video game Super Mario Brothers.
Asked for comment by the MailOnline, the TPA stressed the need for sensible spending, "It's understandable that many residents are angry about how their hard-earned taxes have been spent. The pandemic only worsened the decline of the high street. Any funds for redeveloping the town centre must be spent wisely to attract businesses."
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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