28 March 2008

Paying for Local Government

My daily email from the Local Government Association (LGA) Information Services had just these two stories this morning. Does anybody else see a connection?!

TOWN HALL 'FAT CAT' LIST REVEALED
Over 800 local council officers are paid over £100,000, it has been revealed by the Taxpayers' Alliance. The six best paid officers earn over £200,000 with 14 chief executives earning more than Gordon Brown. John Ransford from the LGA said that the report needs to be taken with a "dollop of salt" and added: "These figures represent 0.0005% of the total workforce in local government. Many councils have bigger budgets than FTSE-100 companies and to get the brightest people to deliver the best services for local people they need to pay a competitive wage."
Express p1& p6, Mail p36, Sun p2, Telegraph p1

COUNCIL TAX UP BY 4%
Council tax is to go up on average by 4% this year, after the Government threatened to cap councils that set increases above 5%. Sir Simon Milton, Chairman of the LGA said: "The stark reality is that low council tax rises have come at a cost and many councils have had to make tough decisions on spending." A comment piece in the Express bemoans the fact that council taxes are rising without an improvement in service. Seven police authorities and one council, Portsmouth, have been capped by the Government.
Telegraph p11, Metro p2, Express p12, Mail p36

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