On Tuesday our latest research revealed that councils throughout the UK are?hoarding nearly ?1.9 billion of artworks, many of which are hidden from public view. Written by TPA researcher Darwin Friend, he found that local authorities own nearly 2 million pieces of art in total and the average value of collection for each council is around ?7 million. On average only 30.2 per cent of artwork is on display to the public.

The council with the largest collection of artwork was?Middlesbrough?with?more than 250,000 items. However the council did not reveal the value of their collection, nor the number of pieces on display.?Manchester city council topped the bill with their bumper collection valued at ?369 million?though less than?one in ten?of their pieces are on display.

With council tax hammering hard-working families, town hall art aficionados should question whether hidden collections of costly artworks are the best use of taxpayers' money. In many instances artwork will have been donated to the council but surely council execs should be making the most of it and putting it on public display. Where possible artworks should be sold off to improve council coffers.?

Let me know your thoughts on local authority artworks.

Boom in local stealth taxes

Analysis by?The Times?shows that use of "stealth" taxes by councils has led to huge revenue increases at the expense of many households. According to consumer affairs correspondent Andrew Ellson, "council accounts show that revenue from environmental, regulatory and planning charges has increased by almost 50 per cent to ?2.3 billion since 2009."

Charges for everything from garden waste to public toilets have all shot up. The result is that every home in England is now paying around ?100 per more in council charges. Despite significant rises in council tax many local authorities are still struggling to balance the books. Commenting on the story our chief executive John O'Connell said:

"These stealth taxes are just another revenue raiser for local authorities. Councils are still wasting money to the tune of millions every year; they should eradicate wasteful spending to keep charges and fees as low as possible."

Jobs for the boys

The former chief executive of Crossrail, Simon Wright has been awarded the job of overseeing the multi-billion pound refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster. The appointment has been met with raised eyebrows after delays and budget overruns that have affected Crossrail.?

Commenting on the story for the Evening Standard?John O'Connell said, "Taxpayers should be seriously concerned that one of the key architects of the Crossrail debacle is now overseeing the multi-billion pound restoration of the Palace of Westminster."

We are looking for a new Digital Campaign Manager. If you can create graphics, edit videos and manage multiple social media accounts and you believe taxes should be lower, apply now!

Click here to find out more about the role.

Taxpayer manifesto

As we near polling day, every party has now launched their manifesto. For the blog this week, we've analysed the manifestos of the main parties to find out which have TPA-friendly policies.?

We work with as wide a variety of political parties to make the case for lower, simpler taxes and aim to persuade all of them. General elections are important to our work, but we will never pick a side or tell our supporters who to vote for. Instead, we focus on helping the public understand the policies on offer.

All the parties are advocating large public spending which raises questions about how such pledges will be funded. That said there are a number of sensible policies across the different manifestos. Click here to read the blog.

What policies would be in your perfect manifesto?

What a mess!

Bristol city council are reportedly on course to go ?7 million over budget on a new household refuse and recycling centre. The project, originally costed at ?4 million, has almost tripled and the final bill is estimated at ?11 million. Additionally plans to keep the existing street cleaning depot at the new site have been scrapped, due to the discovery of a previously unknown landfill site.?

In the tradition of poor council planning, the new depot is miles away from the majority of its workforce, meaning workers will have to travel further and add to the already woeful traffic congestion.

This is a painful example of yet another council throwing taxpayers' money in the bin. Bristol residents deserve better and the council must be held to account over this blunder.

Let me know your examples of wasteful spending.

Harry Fone Grassroots Campaign Manager

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