Friday, 3 July 2009

TaxPayers' Alliance Bulletin - 3rd July 2009
 
MPs' expenses latest
 
First, we'd like to welcome to the TPA bulletin the 5,800 new recipients who signed our petition for transparency on MPs' expenses and thank all of you who helped by going through the (heavily inked out) details that were released a fortnight ago.
 
As you know, the battle to reform Parliament and ensure value for taxpayers' money continues apace. Recently, Matthew Elliott - the TPA's Chief Executive - and TPA Campaign Director Mark Wallace gave evidence to the Committee on Standards in Public Life inquiry into MPs' expenses, led by Sir Christopher Kelly (pictured, right). The direction the committee seem to be heading in is quite encouraging, and as all three main parties have pledged to support whatever conclusions Sir Christopher reaches, the inquiry is a crucial one to influence. The (uncorrected) transcript of that evidence session is available to read here. 
 
Another encouraging sign that the campaign is succeeding in its ultimate aim of achieving transparency and restraint in the spending of taxpayers' money at every level of Government is the fact that the media's expenses focus has been spreading to other organisations such as the BBC and the Welsh Assembly. We have long believed that cleaning up Parliament is only the first step towards cleaning up the whole of the public sector - progress along that road is in its early days, but it is good news that it has already begun.
 
EU campaign hits Sweden
As well as MPs' expenses, work on our other campaigns is also continuing - particularly on our EU campaign. This week, on the day that the Swedish Government took over the Presidency of the European Union, Matthew Elliott had an opinion article in Expressen, one of Sweden's most popular newspapers. In it, he warned of the severe financial and democratic harm done by the EU and urged the Swedish Government to respect the democratic rights of Irish and British voters by not forcing through the Lisbon Trteaty. The full article - in Swedish and in English - can be read here.
 
On Tuesday, the influential Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons published a report on the financial administration of the European Union, which expressed severe concerns about how taxpayers' money is managed or mismanaged in Brussels. The report itself can be read here and coverage in the Glasgow Herald including the TPA's response can be seen here.  
 
Thank you to all those of you who have ordered free Stop the EU Rip-Off car window stickers. If you haven't got yours yet, there's still stock available! If you drive a van or a lorry, or run a fleet of either, we also now have a larger sticker in the same design available to attach to the exterior of larger vehicles. To order either for free please respond to this email stating which sticker you'd like, what quantity and which postal address you would like us to send them to.
 
Councillor pay soars

This week has been memorable for all the wrong reasons when it comes to councillors' allowance. A shocking number of councils have, after victory in the local elections, immediately set about increasing their councillor pay and perks. 

First Kent County Council pushed through an 8% allowance increase, making it one of the highest paying authorities in the country.  Then Lancashire County Council ignored a pay recommendation, opted for higher salaries on their first day in power!  North Somerset hiked their council pay by 30%.  Sadly, some local councillors have apparently failed to learn the lessons from the debacle in Westminster.

To write to the leaders of the councils in question, please follow these links - for Kent and Lancashire, and North Somerset. They’ll only understand how out of touch they are if you tell them!

East Hertfordshire Independent Remuneration Panel

Some months ago we asked our supporters in East Hertfordshire to apply for the council’s Independent Remuneration Panel.  These panels recommend what councillors are paid.  As citizens' panels, they give you the chance to hold your council to account and demand that they provide value for money.  You can read the report on the East Hertfordshire campaign here. If you would like to enquire to your council about joining their Independent Remuneration Panel or would like to discuss this further, please call our grassroots coordinator Tim Aker on 0845 330 9554 or email tim.aker@taxpayersalliance.com. 

Hull and East Riding Action Day

On Saturday 11th June, the Hull and East Riding TPA group will be having an action day.  For more details call our organiser Andrew Allison at andrewallison71@gmail.com. For more information on the branch, visit their blog here.

Are you a member of a Residents Association?

As part of our grassroots campaign to stand up for taxpayers, we’re looking to hear from anyone who is a member of their local residents association.  We look to help local campaigns fight off big government or a meddling council.  So if you’re a member of a local residents association or a local issue is getting your community up in arms, please contact our grassroots coordinator Tim Aker at tim.aker@taxpayersalliance.com.

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Posted by Britannia Radio at 21:30