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TaxPayers' Alliance Bulletin - 2nd September 2011 - Tameside action day - Support our work - Bury, binmen and iPads  - Compensation claims in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire - Best of the blogs  Tameside action day Just a quick reminder that tomorrow (Saturday 3rd September) we are holding an action day in Tameside, Greater Manchester. We will be meeting in the Market Place, Ashton-under-Lyne, at noon for a couple of hours of campaigning. We plan to hand out recruitment cards, and collect signatures for a petition against the taxpayer funding of trade unions in Tameside. We have also launched an online petition for those of you who can't make it to Tameside.  If you are able to attend then please contact our National Grassroots Coordinator, Andrew Allison. Afterwards you are more than welcome to join us for a late lunch, and some liquid refreshment! Event: Tameside Action Day  When: 12.00 pm, Saturday 3 September 2011  Where: Market Place, Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, OL6 7JU   Support our work As you know, we can only continue to shape government policy thanks to your generosity. It’s never easy asking for money, but without supporters like you we couldn’t campaign so effectively for lower taxes and against wasteful government spending. We have already won some enormous battles, like increasing transparency by getting the Government to publish more spending data, but there is still so much more to do. Over the last seven years we have been grateful for regular donations, big and small, from people like you; please help us to keep championing our cause. If you like the work we do and feel we’re making a difference, then please do think about contributing. There are several ways you can donate:   - By credit or debit card online via our PayPal account (CLICK HERE TO DONATE) - By sending a cheque payable to ‘The TaxPayers’ Alliance’ to 55 Tufton Street, London, SW1P 3QL - By setting up a regular contribution. Email us and we can send you a standing order form. - And coming soon…we will be able to accept credit and debit card payments directly. If you have any questions about how we use your donations, or would like to discuss giving, please get in touch with our Development Director, Sara Rainwater, who would be happy to have a chat with you. We really appreciate your support.   Bury, binmen and iPads An interesting story stirred up a heated debate in Bury that's spread across the UK in recent days. It all started when Bury council announced that it was to put Apple iPads in rubbish lorries. Asked for our reaction to this we pointed out that the council needs to make savings of £18m over the next three years and this is a very expensive toy to give to bin men. The story got tech fans chattering on Twitter and waste chiefs at councils across the country claimed the devices could improve collection rates, customer service and boost recycling. Read Matthew Sinclair's response to the subsequent furore in a bloghere.   The cost of compensation claims for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire councils This week we uncovered the amount of money paid out in compensation claims by councils in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire over the last four years. We also uncovered the amount of money spent on pavement repairs.  Report author, Andrew Allison (pictured on BBC Look North), discussed the findings on TV and radio and the research was mentioned in several local newspapers. National Grassroots Coordinator, Andrew Allison, said:  "It is clear from this report that some councils have a far more vigorous inspection regime than others. Whilst it is not in the interests of taxpayers for councils to pay out on every claim, some councils are wasting money by fighting long legal battles with claimants which are pushing up costs. This can be seen happening each year. Councils must ensure pavements are inspected properly, as greater expenditure on maintenance does not necessarily equate to a reduction in the number of claims and the total cost of compensation pay outs." You can read the full report here. Best of the Blogs Burning our money: More quango waste on GPCs - Further abuse of taxpayer funded credit cards, this time from the Electoral Commission Grassroots: Non-job of the week - The Continuous Improvement team appear to be continuously recruiting Better Government: What are the priorities of the NHS? - It's been revealed how much the NHS has been spending on "media professionals" Grassroots: Bristol’s Empty Park-and-Ride - A council spends £1.3 million on a park and ride that no one uses Let Them Eat Carbon: Article about Let them Eat Carbon in City A.M. -Highlighting Matthew Sinclair's editorial in the City A.M. about who is paying for green investment in the energy sector