Taxpayers Alliance – The New Listener

TPA Swipe At Council Chiefs

07:07 Friday 4th October 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Let’s start though with cuts to council budgets, which will impact on all of us, and in particular on front line services going forward. That’s the warning anyway from a union spokesman for Cambridgeshire. Officials from the GMB Union meet today to decide their response to further budget cuts local authorities are going to have to make over the next few years, as their central government grants are reduced yet again. Here’s Richard O’Leary, the GMB’s Regional Officer for Public Services in Cambridgeshire. Earlier he said there are no more efficiencies savings that can be made .
(TAPE)
RICHARD O’LEARY: Since 2010 the cuts in local government have been absolutely savage. By 2015 there’ll be over 500 jobs lost at the current figures in Cambridgeshire. And a billion pound budget will virtually have been cut in half. There literally is no more cuts to make, and the biggest effect in these cuts as well as on local residents are on the staff.
(LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: As I mentioned, Cambridgeshire County Council has to save £159 million over the next five years. They’ve already made 500 people redundant in the last three and a half years, and the Leader of the Council Martin Curtis has warned that hundreds more jobs might have to go. And he says it’s not really his or the authority’s fault.
(TAPE)
MARTIN CURTIS: We have done everything Government asked of us. We’re the fastest growing county in the country. As successive governments have said that they want councils to invest in growth, we’ve done that, and what we feel is we’re being punished. The level of cuts we’ve got to make in the next couple of years, we’re one of the worst affected county councils. And what we’re saying is actually Government need to revisit this. They actually need to revisit the whole scope of funding cuts to councils in general, and think about whether they can find those savings elsewhere.
(LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: So last week it was firefighters. earlier this week it was teachers. Could it be council staff who are the next group of public sector workers to go on strike? Well Richard O’Leary from the GMB didn’t rule it out.
(TAPE)
RICHARD O’LEARY: It’s difficult to say. We hope not. Strikes are always a last resort. I was talking to somebody yesterday and made the point that I think there’s only actually been four days of industrial action in public services in the last 25 years. That’s the purpose of our meeting in London today, to gauge the views of our local government reps, to see what can be done to work with local authorities. But also obviously our primary role is to protect members’ terms and conditions, and services to the public.
(LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Joining me now is Eleanor McGrath from the Taxpayers Alliance. They think councils could still make savings. Eleanor, where?
Continue reading “TPA Swipe At Council Chiefs”

Opposition Councillors Unite to Attack Tory Budget Proposals

08:08 Monday 30th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: As the dust settles on the lollipop cuts fiasco, rival parties in Peterborough are now joining together to form their own alternative budget plans. Representatives from Labour, The Libdems and the Independent Group are meeting tomorrow to discuss some of the policies they want to see change from the Council’s budget proposals. The Labour group want to see the Council share more services with neighbouring counties, and for councillors to take a 30% cut in allowances. Well earlier we heard from Jonathan Isaby, the Political Director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance. He criticised the Tory proposals for raising council tax, and said he prefers some of the Labour Group’s cost saving methods. (TAPE)
JONATHAN ISABY: The Labour group have put forward an alternative budget today. I haven’t seen the detail of it, but from what the headlines were saying the idea of cutting councillors’ allowances, sharing some services and having fewer consultants sound some very sensible ideas as to how this can be done. And hopefully Councillor Seaton will take a look at that plan. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well Ed Murphy is a Labour councillor in Peterborough. With us, Nick Sandford as well, from the Liberal Democrats. Morning guys.
BOTH: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: Ed first of all, where do you disagree with the budget that’s been proposed already? Where are you considering making changes? Continue reading “Opposition Councillors Unite to Attack Tory Budget Proposals”

Peterborough News 3rd November 2010

A summary of the Peterborough Breakfast Show from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire broadcast from 06:00 to 09:00 on Wednesday 3rd November 2010.

Topics:
Peterborough City Council are considering selling off the family silver to maintain their spending levels. There seems to be an issue on whether land sales would be a bad idea in a depressed market. What has not been made clear is how planning permission issues would affect the outcome. Selling plots of land to developers who then apply for planning permission to build houses would obviously benefit the developers most. But it would clearly make more sense for Council to grant outline permission before selling, and the legality of this has not been made clear.

Peterborough Council’s highest earners are hunkering down in their bunkers over suggestions that they might like to take a small voluntary paycut in these times of austerity. Council are still claiming that the scrapping of the Deputy Chief Executive post is an example of their willingness to tighten their belts. In fact, the post was vacated in March, long before austerity became the watchword. The real reason for scrapping the post is that it was created in the first place specifically for a consultant, who became the focus of unwelcome attention when it became clear that Council were spending many millions on consultancy without any clear and evident benefit to the taxpayers.

Some but not all of the general population consulted are prepared to get excited about a new tenant for the Woolworths building.

Continue reading “Peterborough News 3rd November 2010”

Peterborough News 9th July 2010

A summary of the Peterborough Breakfast Show from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire broadcast from 07:00 to 09:00 on Friday 9th July 2010. News travel weather and interviews.

Topics:
Peterborough City councillors have been offered free tickets to the JLS concert on Sunday 18th July 2010 in a Town Hall ballot.
The brand new leisure trust Vivacity will immediately look to shed 30 of its 300 staff in an effort to save £800,000.
The final weekend of the Peterborough Festival will include an event in Cathedral Square tomorrow Saturday 10th July 2010 2pm to 7pm featuring jugglers, a funfair and the Edwin Starr band.
Continue reading “Peterborough News 9th July 2010”

BBC Peterborough April 1st 2010

A summary of the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show from BBC Radio Peterborough broadcast Thursday 1st April 2010.

Topics:

NHS Peterborough has abandoned plans for a homeless and vulnerable centre in the centre of Peterborough.
105 jobs will be lost in Peterborough as Jarvis go into administration.
Valuation Office Agency is aware of rebate claims from businesses affected by the Cathedral Square works.
Big companies back the Conservative Party and demand no rise in National Insurance contributions.
Bulky waste collections will henceforth be chargeable at £20 plus VAT per collection.
Cancer Research UK say older people are reporting skin cancers blamed on the Costas and sunbeds.
A Help for Heroes Ball will take place on Friday 2nd April at the Holiday Inn in Peterborough.
Newcastle could send Peterborough United FC to Division One and win promotion for themselves.
Taxpayers Alliance say Peterborough City Council declined a Freedom of Information request to state top salaries.
Queensgate shop helps the environment by selling luxury personalised Easter eggs with minimal packaging.

Interviewees:
Steve Bliss Revaluation Project Manager Valuation Office Agency.
Jamie Lee Pottyborough.co.uk
Susie Hutson Forces’ Sweetheart.
Mike Heath Commercial Services Director Peterborough City Council.
Mark Cooke Peterborough Pensioners’ Association.
Stewart Jackson MP.
Father David Jennings All Souls Church Geneva Street.
John O’Connell Taxpayers Alliance.
Suzanne Clayton Sweet Perfection Queensgate.

Companies mentioned:
Jarvis.
Gkaxo SmithKline.
Virgin.
Next.
Sundays Cafe.
Harriets Tearooms.
Sweet Perfection Queensgate.

Team:
Presenter: Paul Stainton
Producer: Ben Stevenson
Sport: Chris Osbourne
News: Louise Neill
Travel: Justin Peterson
Weather: Steve Weston
Phones: Kerry Devine
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Interview with Mark Wallace: 1st March 2010

Andy Gall interviewing Mark Wallace Campaign Director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance on BBC Radio Peterborough at 08:10 am 1st March 2010 icw a legal challenge to the release of details of payments made by Peterborough City Council to consultants.

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AG: Now in the past hour we’ve heard that Peterborough City Council is still spending millions of pounds a year on employing consultants. And we’re not likely to find out what they’re being used for, as the consultancy firm is threatening legal action preventing information from being disclosed. Cllr. Mike Fletcher Chairman of the Sustaianble Growth Scrutiny Committee says the taxpayer has a right to know where their money is being spent. Here’s how he found out about the threatened legal action:

(Cllr Mike Fletcher TAPE: On Monday 22nd February, I received an email in the evening, and was going to have an Interim Meeting the next day, but it was received without any prior consultation whatsoever, which had been issued by the Solicitors to the Council.
AG: Right.
MF: And it states: “on the instructions of the Solicitors to the Council, the Informal Meeting of the Sustainable Growth Scrutiny Committee tomorrow is required to be cancelled” The reason being, the Council is being threatened with legal action, over the release of information, and she needs to fully consider what we propose to release, with the lawyers acting for the consultants concerned. She has requested ten working days to sort out this issue. I find that to be somewhat astounding.)

AG: Now Mark Wallace is Campaign Director at Taxpayers’ Alliance and joins us now. Good morning Mark.
MW: Good morning.
AG: Thank you for joining us. Now councils .. do councils normally spend this sort of money on consultants?
MW: It’s actually been an area that so far has been very secretive. Not really in the past because firms have threatened to sue in this disgraceful way, but actually because councils have found it very difficult to put a figure specifically on how much they spend on consultants. That’s partially because obviously you have things like engineering and road development consultants, IT consultants, and management consultants. there’s always been a bit of debate. But it does seem clear that most councils spend at least a few million pounds on this. And I think most people will be shocked to learn that it’s that high.
AG: Where’s the culture gone of being open and honest though, and transparent? That seems to have disappeared when it comes to this little area of consultancy.
Continue reading “Interview with Mark Wallace: 1st March 2010”