From failing energy companies, to white elephant projects, many local authorities have continued to pour public money down the drain.
Council staff and administrators are often handling the financial transactions via the payroll. It gives a motive to push spending up.
With new leadership in many local areas, there is lots of potential for bold and innovative ways to save money.
Plus: Waltham Forest’s proposed “consultancy support for a strategic reset” sounds like something from David Brent.
Councils with poor management and leadership need to recruit the best people to senior roles to sort out their failings.
Nottingham City Council paid nine staff over £100,000 a year. What did local taxpayers get for their money? A failed council-owned energy company.
Plus: The residents of Tunbridge Wells are left with the bill for their council’s Calverley Square vanity project.
We need to ensure we are attracting those who can deliver effective and efficient services to our local communities.
Plus: White elephants in Brighton – and Nottingham’s inept venture into the energy market.
We have reduced the number of councillors by 30 per cent and we froze allowances for nine years running.
Ever greater state funding is being followed by ever greater statism in political thought – and the decline of independent thought.
The structure and management of the council needs total reform. I would reduce the current 101 councillors to around 30.
Talk of being “cut to the bone” is nonsense. Here are some challenges councillors should be making about unnecessary spending.
The latest council leader to vote to increase his own allowances talks of himself as a business leader, not a public servant.
Chairing a committee is paid at the rate of over £2,000 per meeting.