Last year, the TPA blew the whistle on how much councils were wasting on paying full time union staff. In 2009/2010 Tameside Council employed 8.4 full time equivalent union staff at a cost of £227,469. A year later the Daily Mail published an article which gave the figures for 2010/2011 and revealed that Tameside had employed the same number of full time equivalent staff, but at an increased cost of £336,718. This places Tameside Council fourth in the country for the highest union spend.
What’s worth noting is that despite all the cuts to public spending, union grandees at Tameside Council have had a 48 per cent pay rise! The average union rep in Tameside is paid £40,085. This is almost double the salary of what the average person earns in Tameside.
Another excellent article from the Tameside Tax Payers Alliance. To view the full piece click here
13 comments:
Still waiting for the names ?
Dear Mr Hall
Freedom of Information Request –
Thank you for your e-mail dated 29 April 2011 requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act. Your email was received on 3 May 2011 which is the first working day after you sending it. I understand your request to be as follows:
“Because TMBC figures in a press release in the Daily Mail dated April 29th 2011 and stated that within the Tameside Salary Bill 2010/11 a sum of £336,718 was paid to 8.4 Full Time Union Officials.
I want to know who are the recipients of this Council Tax funding paid for by the Tameside Electorate and I require names and positions held, and which TMBC Officials were/are aware of these payments.”
Your request is being considered as a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In accordance with statutory requirements, it may take up to 20 working days (approximately 4 weeks) for the Council to consider your request and provide a formal response. Should this 20 working day deadline need to be extended you will be notified and kept informed.
I have passed your request to Ben Jay, Deputy Treasurer who can be contacted on 0161-342-3864 or at ben.jay@tameside.gov.uk
J.Hall
Denton
MP Name Constituency Expense Category Expense Type Date Amount Claimed Amount Paid Amount Not Paid Claim Status Claim Details
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/06/2010 - £1,430.00 - Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/07/2010 - £1,430.00 - Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/08/2010 - £1,430.00 - Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 15/09/2010 £1,430.00 £1,430.00 £0.00 Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 15/10/2010 £1,430.00 £1,430.00 £0.00 Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 15/11/2010 £1,430.00 £1,430.00 £0.00 Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 15/12/2010 £1,430.00 £1,430.00 £0.00 Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 15/01/2011 £1,430.00 £1,430.00 £0.00 Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 15/02/2011 £1,430.00 £1,430.00 £0.00 Paid
Andrew Gwynne Denton and Reddish BC Accommodation Council Tax 13/07/2010 - £65.63 - Paid
First 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next Last
Total amount paid for this search = £30,243.77
J.Hall
MP Name Constituency Expense Category Expense Type Date Amount Claimed Amount Paid Amount Not Paid Claim Status Claim Details
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 02/06/2010 - £1,450.00 - Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 02/06/2010 - £214.62 - Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 30/06/2010 - £1,450.00 - Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/08/2010 - £1,450.00 - Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/09/2010 £1,450.00 £1,450.00 £0.00 Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/09/2010 £175.00 £175.00 £0.00 Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/10/2010 £1,450.00 £1,450.00 £0.00 Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/10/2010 £175.00 £175.00 £0.00 Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/11/2010 £175.00 £175.00 £0.00 Paid
Jonathan Reynolds Stalybridge and Hyde CC Accommodation Accommodation Rent 01/11/2010 £1,450.00 £1,450.00 £0.00 Paid
First 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next Last
Total amount paid for this search = £21,273.53
J.Hall
Legalised theft. Why should the Council Tax payer pay THEIR wages? TMBC, AGAIN!
Fantastic info from the Tax Paters Alliance and John. You great people really do deserve a medal for exposing these corrupters in public office.
Immigration Minister Damian Green has denied claims by MPs that a backlog of cases saw asylum seekers granted leave to remain so many times that it amounts to an amnesty.
The Commons Home Affairs Select Committee said that of 450,000 cases in the backlog, some 38,000 have had their claims denied by the Border Agency and are being removed from Britain; however, 161,000 have been granted leave to remain.
How does John Hall and the Tameside Taxpayers group get all this internal information about the parasitic council and councillors who are bleeding us dry?
If I were a Tameside worker and union member facing redundency or pay cuts I would be VERY suspicious of my union leader being too close to (ie paid by) the council (ie the bosses).
I remember when I workeed in the Ashton Army Pay Office our union rep going out for lunch with the Colonel during the time we were "fighting closure". Needless to say we failed to win the fight.
The Union rep is now a Tameside Labour Councillor.
LibLabCon councillors up and down the country have used taxpayer-funded credit cards to finance their jet-set lifestyles, spending tens of millions of pounds on jewellery, Michelin-starred restaurants, first-class travel around the world and five-star hotels.
Councillors and vastly overpaid local government officials and bosses have blown money on Gucci bags, Tiffany jewellery, and trips to Bermuda, Goa, India, Bangkok, New York, Cannes and Kyoto, among many others.
They also used the cards to pay for iPads, video games consoles, trips to Flamingoland, and even llamas.
The revelations were in response to Freedom of Information requests made to local councils by The Daily Telegraph.
In total, 186 councils released data. However, all of the councils only agreed to disclose information regarding expenditure over £500 – meaning there are potentially tens of millions of pounds in additional spending on lower value items or services unreported.
Over the past three years, figures show these councils have spent more than £40 million using the taxpayer-funded cards, which suggests total council spending of around £100 million at all local authorities.
Salford council officer Jane Nugent, who took a £30,000 voluntary redundancy package from the council earlier this year, was arrested on suspicion of fraud. Miss Nugent’s boyfriend, PC Graham Fox, a serving police officer based at Bury station, was also arrested on money laundering charges.
The second member of Salford Council staff, Gareth Robinson, was arrested on charges of misuse of a council credit card with irregularities of around £7,000.
Both members of Salford City Council worked within the Licensing department, which is responsible for the issuing of the licences for taxis, street traders, pubs and dealing with fixed penalty notices
Very perceptive point, as usual, from tonydj about the union rep's loyalties. The council pay their wages and the one who pays the piper calls the tune.
Surely delayed responses should be
explained in full,or do we have to continue seeking the intervention of the FOI Commissioner at Wilmslow
..................................
Dear Ms Stewart
Having still had no response to my FOI request,the following communications below speak for themselves,and I trust you will now yourself investigate the situation and reason for the nil response from Mr.Ben Jay.
Yours sincerely
John Hall
Denton
...................................
Dear Mr Jay
My FOI E.Mail request forwarded to Sandra Stewart 29th April 2011 was passed to yourself for attention as Deputy Treasurer,and I understand the legislated response date is now
due.
Would you please indicate the present situation concerning my FOI request.
To: Ben Jay
Subject: FOI Request
Sent: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 20:57:32 +0100
was read on Wed, 1 Jun 2011 21:07:25 +0100
...................................
Should you have any concerns about the way your response is being dealt with, please do not hesitate to contact me in writing or by e-mail.
Yours sincerely
Sandra Stewart
Borough Solicitor
................................
John Hall
Denton
The best sum-up of this blatant misappropriation and misuse of council tax payers' money is:
GROTESQUE
UNBELIEVABLE
BIZARRE
UNPRECEDENTED
Hang on though, doesn't that pretty much sum up TMBC's modus operandi in general?
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