'Super-Councils' Given Power to Impose Road Taxes 'Congestion charges and workplace parking fees could be imposed by unelected quangos under proposed laws. The small print of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, gives sweeping power to new organisations to control transport policy, including the power to levy taxes, the Conservatives said last night. They have accused the Government of trying to impose road pricing "via the back door".' Police Set to Step Up Hacking of Home PCs 'The Home Office has quietly adopted a new plan to allow police across Britain routinely to hack into people's personal computers without a warrant. The move, which follows a decision by the European Union's council of ministers in Brussels, has angered civil liberties groups and opposition MPs. They described it as a sinister extension of the surveillance state which drives "a coach and horses" through privacy laws. The hacking is known as "remote searching". It allows police or MI5 officers who may be hundreds of miles away to examine covertly the hard drive of someone's PC at his home, office or hotel room.' Town Hall Bosses Advise on Pay Rises For . . . Town Hall Bosses 'Town hall bosses are operating a private consultancy that has helped to increase their pay by more than 30 percent in four years. Solace Enterprises, a recruitment company, is paid fees of about twenty thousand pounds by local councils to headhunt chief executives and recommend salary levels. Its advice has contributed to burgeoning pay packets for chief executives, many of whom are now paid more than a hundered and fifty thousand pounds a year. The company is wholly owned by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (Solace), which represents town hall bosses. The company's directors include a number of serving chief executives.'Sunday, 04 January 2009
Sunday, 4 January 2009
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