Britannia Radio

TaxPayers' Alliance Bulletin - 1st July 2011 - Fighting the unions - Olympics tickets - MPs' expenses update - Tendring Council lead the way - Parking charges - Best of the blogs Fighting the unions We put more pressure on the trade unions this week byrevealing their leaders' pay and perks in our Trade Union Rich List. The research showed that 37 trade union leaders took home pay packets of £100,000 or more in 2009/10, with Derek Simpson pocketing more than £185,000. We released the report to coincide with a wave of planned strikes which closed schools and disrupted courts, driving tests and jobcentres. The strikes were deeply unpopular; even Labour leader Ed Miliband criticised workers for walking out while negotiations on pension reforms were still ongoing. TPA Director Matthew Sinclair appeared on BBC News to criticise the strikes and the demands made by those walking out. He emphasised that the Government's proposals are moderate steps towards making public sector pension arrangements a little fairer and more affordable. (Click to watch) Campaign Director Emma Boon was interviewed on BBC Radio Humberside, BBC Radio West Midlands and BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey, and the Trade Union Rich List was also reported in a range of newspapers, including The Sun, The Daily Mail, the Evening Standard, and The Scotsman. Olympics tickets Last month we asked you to get in touch with your local council and find out if they had bought tickets for the Olympics with taxpayers’ cash. This was after a couple of high-profile examples in the media aroused our suspicions that the practice might be more widespread. Well, we’ve had a flurry of responses and here are some of the big spenders you’ve rooted out: - In the West Country, Andrew G found that Dorset have spent £2,100. - Over in the East of England, Philip G found out that Essex have over 500 tickets (the council claim they will be recouping some of the costs). - In Scotland, Richard H discovered that Kirklees council have spent over £3,000 on tickets. - Simon T went to HM Revenue and Customs and found out that they have 50 tickets to events, including beach volleyball and weightlifting! The results so far can be found here. It’s fantastic that we can rely on you, our dedicated supporters, to help us uncover waste. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send a Freedom of Information request. If you have already sent one but haven’t received a response, be sure to send it through when you do so that we can update our results. The more voices we can get to hold councils accountable for how they spend our money, the better. If you would like to get more involved like this on a regular basis, email our National Grassroots Coordinator Andrew Allison about how you can help. MPs' expenses update Former Tory peer and ex-leader of Essex County Council, Lord Hanningfield, was today jailed for 9 months for fiddling his parliamentary expenses. Back in May we reported how he had been found guilty of six counts of false accounting;he fraudulently claimed nearly £14,000 of taxpayers’ money. He has lodged an appeal against his conviction, meaning the last of the expenses trials could be dragged on to the Court of Appeal in London. Four former Labour MPs - David Chaytor, Eric Illsley, Jim Devine and Elliot Morley - have already received prison terms for fiddling their parliamentary expenses. Tendring Council leads the way Douglas Carswell MP revealed on his blog that Tendring Council are not only publishing spending above £500, but have gone a step further and are publishing almost all council spending. This is a real victory for transparency. We've also been informed by Hull City Council that they too are now publishing almost all spending. If Tendring and Hull can do it, so can other councils - particularly Nottingham City Council, the only council not to publish spending above £500. Why not bookmark the pages on your council's website linking to spending above £500 and ask them if they plan to do the same as Tendring and Hull? Be sure to send us your feedback. Parking charges Car parking changes have been in the news again. Last week we wrote about the possibility of the end of free parking in Lincolnshire. After a meeting that week, the plan has been scrapped. Thankfully, councillors have realised introducing charges to pay for parking wardens will have an adverse effect on local businesses in the county. That is the good news, but unfortunately there are still plans for large hikes in council car parks in Leeds and Manchester. There is also an online petition to stop Aylesbury Vale District Council introducing new charges in Buckingham, as well as the long-running campaign in the same district to stop charges in Winslow. In our report last year, we revealed that UK drivers are paying almost £18 billion in excessive motoring taxes. Councils need to stop treating motorists as cash cows. If you know of any more proposed charges, or of any large price hikes in council car parks, please do get in touch. Best of the Blogs Campaign: HS2 isn’t a North versus South issue, Northerners don’t want it - Matthew Sinclair maps support for cancelling High Speed 2, and finds that only London is in favour (and only just!) Grassroots: Costly changes to Stonehenge - Tim Newark with news of yet another costly public inquiry at Stonehenge Burning our Money: Non-job of the week - More non-job doublespeak: 'involvement', 'innovation', 'participation' and 'integration' Grassroots: 10% price hike in Leeds City Council car parks - Yet another council hikes car park charges - Andrew Allison on why Leeds City Council's move is self-defeating European Union: EU hypocrisy over austerity - Will the EU be suitably austere in their budget proposals, asks David Cowan Campaign: FiReControl project money up in smoke - The cost of the scrapped 'regional fire control centres' project has finally been revealed - £469 million wasted so far (and growing!)