Author: Phil

Categories
Communications disease

More Government ads

Another big Government ad in the Guardian today from the Disability Rights Commission. There is nothing on their website I can disagree with in terms of objectives. I just question the way they go about it. A high profile ad campaign with both newspaper and billboards. It is bizarre the way they highlight it on their website. Would a commercial organisation invite you to “View our advertising campaign”? It seems they are trying to ape French Connection UK’s punning allusion to foul language.

Other ads from the same series appeared in the Evening Standard and Telegraph today.

Categories
Ex-Mayor Livingstone

New tax for London

You probably haven’t heard of the the new Low Emission Zone for London. What the Mayor’s press release does not tell you is that the scheme will cost £78 million, double the original estimate. Heavy vehicles that do not meet European emission standards will have to pay a fee of £200 to enter London from early 2008. Those that do not pay will be fined £1,000. Such charges just get passed on to consumers so we will pay for the cameras and clipboards and we will pay the fines too. As vehicles get replaced by hauliers they will automatically be upgraded to the new standards. This seems to be a lot of fuss and expense to speed an inevitable process.

Categories
Ealing and Northfield Policing

Coppers need to do it on their own

Simon Jenkins lays into the Met in the Evening Standard tonight. He simply asks why policemen go around in pairs in London and suggests that it is the Police Federation and the Health and Safety Executive who dictate that policemen cannot go alone although most Londoners have to. Down by the river in Hammersmith I often see police horses going two at a time down Lower Mall. Now that is about £300,000 per annum of police resources strolling along having a nice chat by the river. Even the Safer Neighbourhoods ads feature two policemen!

It seems to me that two policemen patrolling together will spend most of their time chatting and miss a lot. Anyone who has travelled on their own will tell you that you meet loads more people on your own than you do as a couple. Two policemen, one each side of a busy road, will provide two sets of eyes and many more positive interactions with the public than two on the same side of the road. It is not hard. Next time you see a couple of coppers walking down the road why don’t you suggest they each walk down one side?

Categories
Ealing and Northfield

Council tax rises to exceed inflation

The Local Government Association published a survey of 54 local councils today. Most of them predict that their council Taxes will rise in excess of inflation.

Categories
Public sector waste

Efficient council

The Telegraph highlights a Tory-controlled council, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, that is proposing to reduce its charge on council taxpayers by 3% in the year ahead.  It can be done and what is more they have been able to protect services too. 

In addition to the article there is a case study at the Centre of Excellence – East website. 

Categories
Ealing and Northfield

Don’t lose your vote

The local elections will be held on Thursday 4 May 2006 for all London boroughs. If you want to change the council then you need to vote but first you need to be registered.

All British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens who are 18 or over by the date of council elections are entitled to register and vote. The last date to have your name added to the register is Monday 13 March 2006.

To check that you are registered or to request an application form contact the electoral services team at the council on 020 8825 7777, or email elections@ealing.gov.uk.

Categories
Ex-Mayor Livingstone

Pay C-charge by the mile

The Standard today headlines that the congestion charge could move to pay as you go. This is great in theory but read on. They reckon to be able to collect £3 billion in charges. This would be OK too if some other tax was reduced by £3 billion (for Londoners only).

The real kicker is the quote from Michele Dix, director of congestion charging at TfL: “It would generate £3 billion gross and net revenue of between £1 billion and £2 billion.” This silly woman is no doubt one of the 74 TfL managers earning over £100,000 (see Evening Standard on 10th October last year). Can’t she refine her cost estimates more accurately than to the nearest £1 billion? Why does she think it acceptable to tax people to this extent and then lose anywhere from a third to two thirds of the money in collection costs.

Green taxes are great but not if the cash all gets wasted and other taxes are not reduced.

Categories
Public sector waste

Regional police mergers will cost £1 billion

The Telegraph today reports that the Government’s scheme to force police forces to merge into 12 regional constabularies will cost £1 billion. Nobody really wants distant, unaccountable regional constabularies, especially if there is such a big bill attached. When the private sector talks about mergers it also talks about cost savings. It seems public sectors mergers cost money. How does that work?

Categories
Localism Public sector waste

Councils’ priorities, not ours

In the run up to the end of their financial year councils will be making some hard decisions about budgets for next year.

An article in today’s Telegraph highlights an area that many councils do not prioritise – libraries. 50 libraries to go. Tax payers’ priorities 0, councils’ priorities 1.

Where does the money go? Look at the job pages. On Sunday Surrey County Council advertised for four Strategic Directors. They offered “attractive six figure salaries” for all. At the same time they are proposing to close 6 libraries in the county.

Surrey ad 22-1-2006.jpgThe prominent, quarter page advert in the Sunday Times must have cost £5,000. The recruiter will be looking for fees of 20%, ie £80,000 worth of fees for four posts.

I suspect that Surrey Council Tax Payers would happily give up a Strategic Director for Policy & Performance in return for some libraries. You might imagine that the so-called Chief Executive might think that their job would include policy and performance? 

[See letter in Telegraph next day.]

Categories
Ex-Mayor Livingstone

Mayor’s share of your council tax to rise £40

The Evening Standard today reports that the combined effect of the Safer Neighbourhoods police teams and the Olympics will add £40 to the average London council tax bill next year.

Both of these initiatives are welcome but the 15.5% increase in the precept will take my contribution up to £490 next year. In the last year of the London Residuary Body that preceded the Greater London Authority, 1999/2000, my share of the precept was £175. This represents a 2.8 times increase in seven years.

Since he bacame mayor Livingstone has increased his charge by 2.8 times. I am not sure he has increased police numbers and certainly police effectiveness by 2.8 times.