Britannia Radio

Councillors' allowances are often reasonable compensation for people making a valuable contribution to their local community. But it is hard to justify why some authorities are paying much more than others, and big increases at a time when taxpayers are under so much pressure. And with other perks too, there is a real danger councillors start to see their job as representing the council to the people, not the people to the council. This week also saw the launch of a powerful new documentary from Jeff Randall about the terrible economic situation facing many young people. Unfortunately Nick Clegg has proposed a new wealth tax which would make that situation a lot worse. We need to stop yet more gesture politics undermining Britain's economic future. - Matthew Sinclair, Chief Executive Enormous differences in councillors allowances revealed There are huge differences in councillors' basic allowances; for example in Tameside they get over £11,000 per year while counterparts in Trafford are fine with just over £6,000.Find out how much councillors in your area get. Nick Clegg floats barmy new wealth tax Other countries are abandoning their wealth taxes as unfair, inefficient and economically disastrous, but Nick Clegg has floated the idea of introducing one here. Rory Meakin sets out why that is a terrible idea. Clegg is a worthy Pinhead of the Month. Have your kids been "born bankrupt"? Over the Bank Holiday weekend, Jeff Randall released aspecial documentary on Sky News about the disastrous financial legacy being left to young people today. Restraint in public spending and tax reform to enable strong long run growth is the only way to fix the situation.