📢 Important news about YOUR council tax bill 📢

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Town hall tax hikes
New TPA analysis has shockingly revealed that the average council tax bill could pass £2,000 this year for the majority of the UK.

Working with The Telegraph ([link removed]) , our team looked at what would happen if all authorities put up their bills by the maximum. 83 per cent of authorities would be charging over £2,000, whilst three areas would be charging over £2,400!
In comments picked up by some of Britain’s leading newspapers ([link removed]) , our investigations campaign manager, Elliot Keck, blasted the prospect, explaining: “By lifting the ceiling on council tax hikes, the government has granted a free pass to wasteful councils. Local authorities who play fast and loose with taxpayer cash will be licking their lips ahead of what promises to be another painful round of rate rises”.
With so much waste in the system, town hall bosses must get their own houses in order before dipping into the pockets of residents. That’s why we need you to sign our petition ([link removed]) to put a stop to these excessive tax hikes!

We can only keep fighting thanks to the generosity of people like you, our supporters. Click here to donate to our campaign. ([link removed])
Grassroots news
Back on the road

2023 may only be a couple of weeks old, but the TPA has hit the ground running.

On Monday, our team was out in Arundel, West Sussex, where Arun district council plan to spend nearly £500,000 building a luxury Airbnb.
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Conor Holohan, our media campaign manager, gave a run down of the situation, highlighting the dodgy sums and strong local opposition to the proposals. As Conor says: “Councils should focus on delivering public services at a good value to the taxpayer, not needless property speculation”.

If you live in Arundel or Walberton, sign our letter ([link removed]) calling for these plans to be scrapped!
TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
Pride police

A new TPA investigation has exposed that police forces in England and Wales have managed to spend £66,000 on rainbow themed merchandise and memorabilia. The worst offenders were South Wales police who managed to spend £24,000 on rainbow flags, face paints, T-shirts, badges, pens, whistles, wristbands, sporks, trolley coins, water bottles and keyrings.

Cautioning coppers in comments to The Telegraph, TPA researcher, Tom Ryan, slammed the wasteful wokery ([link removed]) : “Police chiefs have been caught red-handed wasting money on woke nonsense. With crime on the up, it will bring little comfort to Brits knowing that bobbies are kitted out with rainbow merchandise”.
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Following up live in the GB News studio ([link removed]) , Elliot told Andrew Doyle: “Crime is up by about five, six per cent since the pandemic. Clearly there is a lot for the police to be getting on with… you have to wonder what’s going on there”.
Money, money, money

When it emerged that councils have spent millions on royalties to play music for visitors and staff in their buildings, TPA towers were left in stunned silence.
Beating the drum for taxpayers, John O’Connell, our chief executive, told Scotland’s Sunday Mail: "Taxpayers will be furious that their cash is being wasted after constantly hearing public sector bosses say there’s no more fat left to trim”.
Aunty avoids answering

When the BBC refused to reveal how much they spent producing their latest ‘I’m not a monster’ podcast series, telling the story of ISIS bride Shamima Begum, we wasted no time calling out the Corporation’s covert costs.
As our digital campaign manager, Joe Ventre, told Daily Express ([link removed]) readers: “Licence fee cash should not be supporting this disgraceful PR exercise to spin the sob story of an Isis bride… it's seriously concerning that taxpayers can't get information about the cost of this creation, with the BBC only becoming less transparent”.
Blog of the week
For this week’s blog, Elliot gives us his latest War on Waste update ([link removed]) , with details of some of the squandered money we uncovered in December.
From public sector gift vouchers, to aid money for India, there’s clearly a lot of fat left to trim. Something for us all to remember next time quangos and councils claim to be cut to the bone…
Click to read more ([link removed])
War on Waste
Regular readers will know we recently highlighted the case of Conwy county borough council who spent over £600,000 heating offices ([link removed]) despite much of the workforce working from home.

In a bit of good news for taxpayers, it looks like Nottinghamshire county council has heeded our calls and closed offices during holiday periods ([link removed]) , saving local residents £75,000. It’s great to see local councils implementing TPA ideas, even if they are planning to hike council tax! ([link removed])

If your council is finding welcome ways to cut wasteful spending, tell us about them (mailto:[email protected]?subject=re.%20Weekly%20bulletin)

Benjamin Elks
Fundraising, Operations, and Events assistant

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