Campaign news from Kent

Campaign news from Kent

September 03, 2007 11:19 AM

Our New Romney organiser, Councillor Wendy Nevard, has been a real gem in our campaign to expose local government waste. She bravely stood up to councillors and officers willing to waste £10,000 of taxpayers’ money on goalposts and has kept us busy with news of constant local government waste down in Kent.

The first story we've been fed comes from the Romney Marsh edition of the Folkestone Herald, it highlights a taxpayer’s revolt in Dymchurch Parish Council. It appears that the council agreed to hire a consultant to examine the suitability of a car park that had already met the standards required to act as car park for a busy doctor’s surgery. That’s £800 for a consultant to be paid by the taxpayer just to examine a surface that had already met national standards. Thankfully parish councillors Joe Turner and Roger Wilkins came out against the flagrant use of taxpayers’ money and have campaigned to defer the consultant’s payment. Good on them!

Feel free to write to Cllr Turner and Cllr Wilkins and congratulate them on their stand against waste at:

The second report from Kent doesn’t give us much to cheer about. Ashford Borough Council has given the green light for a “£70,000 public art consultation programme”. The aim of the ‘consultation’ is to get residents’ views on ‘public art’ (also known as graffiti). You couldn’t make it up. Ashford Council have agreed to put up £10,000 (of your money), Kent County Council have put up £10,000 (of your money), the South East England Development Agency have agreed to put up £30,000 (of your money) and English Partnerships, a regeneration quango, have put up £20,000…you guessed it, it’s all your money – on graffiti.

Our New Romney organiser, Councillor Wendy Nevard, has been a real gem in our campaign to expose local government waste. She bravely stood up to councillors and officers willing to waste £10,000 of taxpayers’ money on goalposts and has kept us busy with news of constant local government waste down in Kent.

The first story we've been fed comes from the Romney Marsh edition of the Folkestone Herald, it highlights a taxpayer’s revolt in Dymchurch Parish Council. It appears that the council agreed to hire a consultant to examine the suitability of a car park that had already met the standards required to act as car park for a busy doctor’s surgery. That’s £800 for a consultant to be paid by the taxpayer just to examine a surface that had already met national standards. Thankfully parish councillors Joe Turner and Roger Wilkins came out against the flagrant use of taxpayers’ money and have campaigned to defer the consultant’s payment. Good on them!

Feel free to write to Cllr Turner and Cllr Wilkins and congratulate them on their stand against waste at:

The second report from Kent doesn’t give us much to cheer about. Ashford Borough Council has given the green light for a “£70,000 public art consultation programme”. The aim of the ‘consultation’ is to get residents’ views on ‘public art’ (also known as graffiti). You couldn’t make it up. Ashford Council have agreed to put up £10,000 (of your money), Kent County Council have put up £10,000 (of your money), the South East England Development Agency have agreed to put up £30,000 (of your money) and English Partnerships, a regeneration quango, have put up £20,000…you guessed it, it’s all your money – on graffiti.

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Welcome to The TaxPayers' Alliance, Britain's grassroots campaigning group dedicated to reforming taxes, cutting spending and protecting taxpayers. If you like what we do, become a supporter now by signing up to our mailing list using the form below. John O'Connell, Chief Executive