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TPA calls for change to solve the second jobs debacle
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With recent scandals, MPs' second jobs have become a topic of heated debate. So the TaxPayers' Alliance is once again putting politicians under the microscope.
This year, with recesses taken into account, the House of Commons will only sit for 170 days. Who would dismiss an MP using the remaining time to help part-time as an NHS nurse or represent constituents as a solicitor? Some are calling for a ban, with politicians only allowed to do the jobs approved by other MPs. But we can’t think of anything worse! We have to move away from a system where politicians are marking their own homework.Â
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Asked about recent events on LBC's Cross Question, our chief executive John O'Connell described goings-on in parliament as "shameful" and "unedifying". John made it clear he doesn't have an issue with second jobs but "maximum transparency" is vital. Expanding on his views he argued that the only fit and proper people to judge these matters impartially are voters.
So what can voters do if they feel they’re not being properly represented? One remedy put forward to hold MPs to account is the ability to recall and remove MPs through a referendum. This is already in place, but the current rules aren't up to scratch as constituents can't initiate the process. Once again, other politicians have the final say on whether an MP should face the electorate. This needs to change.
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The danger of recent scandals is we end up with the worst of both worlds: a political class with second jobs approved by other politicians, with local voters unable to have a say. What we need instead is a real right to recall. That's why we've launched a new petition calling for change.
The electorate should decide whether to recall their MP. Parliamentary protections should not prevent politicians from facing their constituents. Voters should have the right to recall their MP for any reason - not just when parliament gives permission.
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University strikes cost ÂŁ8 million a day
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Our latest research has found the cost of recent university strikes is equivalent to the tuition fees for 10,285 British undergraduates’ degrees. Since 2018, the total cost of the 36 strike days is £285.4 million, equivalent to £8 million per day.
The University and College Union (UCU) once again balloted this month over pensions alongside pay and working conditions for staff. The fresh wave of strikes come after students faced a year or more of online lectures and disruption, due to strike days and the covid pandemic.
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The UCU is led by one of the top 20 best-paid trade union bosses. It has pursued strike action over pensions despite concerns about the generosity of existing schemes. According to the latest Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, the higher education USS pension scheme is in the top 20 per cent of contributors. It is also in the top half of the most generous public sector schemes.Â
Covered in the Daily Telegraph and Britain's biggest newspaper, the Daily Mail, we urged university union bosses to stop further disruption, in the interests of hard-pressed students and taxpayers. University union bosses cannot think that now is the right time for yet more expensive strikes.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Government must do more on furlough fraud
Reports suggest that hundreds of companies were set up to fraudulently claim funds from the government's furlough scheme. It is possible that tens, if not hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' cash may have been lost.
Our policy analyst Darwin Friend appeared on GBNews to call on the government to do everything possible to reclaim the money and ensure this never happens again.
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Speaking to GBNews presenter Alex Phillips, Darwin was adamant people who played by the rules will be "disgusted" by those who are scamming the system. He added, "The government and ministers in the future have to impose stricter rules to prosecute and find those that are doing this so public money can be spent on priorities."
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Civil service splashes ÂŁ10 million on home working
The Telegraph reports that government bodies spent more than £9.8 million on home working equipment for civil servants during the pandemic. But the total spend is likely to be higher as some of the largest departments did not disclose their expenditure.
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Our media campaign manager Danielle Boxall was keen to stress that many in the private sector are not so fortunate, "At a time when many businesses were struggling to stay afloat and taxpayers were facing economic ruin, bureaucrats were using public money to kit out their home offices."
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Tube drivers threaten strikes
The Daily Express has revealed that London Underground drivers who have voted to strike, "are on pay and benefits worth more than ÂŁ80,000". The ASLEF union which represents the drivers claims that Transport for London and the government want to "slash staff pensions and tear up agreed working conditions."
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Danielle stood up for hardworking Brits, telling journalist Sarah O'Grady, "Taxpayers funnelled billions into TfL last year while battling Covid only to see it funding perks that those in the private sector could only dream of. London’s transport bosses need to start delivering real savings so they never again let their finances go off the rails.
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Don’t just freeze the BBC licence fee, scrap it altogether
With the cold weather setting in talk of a freeze is in the air. According to government insiders, the BBC licence fee is set to stay at ÂŁ159 for up to two years following negotiations with ministers; supposedly to help households with the cost of living.
As our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre writes, you might say this is something of an early Christmas present but it's a far cry from the bold plans for the licence fee that this government originally touted.
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They were originally aiming for fundamental reform that would consign the antiquated TV tax to history once and for all. Analysis from our research team has laid bare how we can make this possible within the current framework. Our proposals to privatise swathes of the BBC would negate the need for a licence fee.
If ministers and the BBC’s top brass are serious about easing the burden on hard-pressed households, they should put an end to these sticking-plaster solutions and consider the reforms that we have proposed. Click here to read more.
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Bureaucratic busywork
Waverley Borough Council has rightly come under fire after it spent three months reviewing its rules on strip clubs, sex shops and cinemas - despite not having a single one in the area.
According to SurreyLive, "Zero applications have been made to Waverley Borough Council for sexual entertainment venues since it first adopted a policy on them almost a decade ago. Despite this, over the summer the council decided to launch a public consultation regarding the rules in 'accordance with its standard procedures."
I don't think it's unfair to say the review was a complete waste of time and resources. This review has amounted to nothing but bureaucratic busywork. With none of these venues in the area, town hall bosses should have known this pointless procedure would have amounted to nothing.
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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