I know it’s the season for goodwill but I have rather poor news for you; The Resolution Foundation, a prominent economic think, forecasts that by the time Starmer is thrown out (2030) he will have increased the number of state employees to almost one in five of ALL the nation’s work-force.
And this matters to your pocket as state workers take more sick days, have more holidays, have higher average salaries, work shorter hours and most importantly have pensions which the private sector can only dream about.
To ram home the point The Times, in a startling investigation, reveals that £1 in every £4 raised in council tax is being spent on staff pensions. That means the average household is paying £230 (our hard-earned money) directly into an employee at the local council.
Elmbridge Borough Council offices in Esher, Surrey.
Last year residents across the UK paid £7billion into the council schemes. Compare that with the £1.1billion that went on libraries, culture, heritage and tourism and the £2.2billion that went on emergency housing.
Local government is turning into a racket. I have said before that you could fire a cruise missile into the offices of local council Elmbridge in Esher, Surrey, and you wouldn’t kill anybody in the week. Everybody, and I do mean everybody, is working from home most of the time.
When I tried to find out the detailed numbers the Elmbridge press office said they didn’t release numbers but their WFH policy was ‘’ in line with modern practices.’’ If it were, and as it is household’s money, why wouldn’t they tell me? This kind of secrecy must be blown apart.
It’s not as though council workers are underpaid. The typical employee earns nearly £40,000 a year, significantly above the national average.
But it’s the pension which is completely out of kilter with rest of the nation. Over the last three decades final salary schemes have vanished from the private sector. Today they are as rare as a Labour politician buying their own clothes.
On an employee joining the council the scheme kicks in. It guarantees to pay members a proportion of their final or career average salary when they retire depending on how long they have been a member.
Hampshire County Council paid £281 million into their pension scheme last year.
On this gravy train the councils are contributing 20% of their staff’s pay into the scheme, compared with around 4.5% in the private world. How can this be justified and what is it that council employees are doing that makes them anything special.
This financial madness must stop. The first thing I would do is stop the scheme for all new hires. The next is, over the next decade, slowly reduce the 20% to the 4.5% in the private arena.
There would be strikes and, with a bit of luck massive, early retirements. Good. It is wholly unreasonable for people who lives in difficult circumstances themselves, being forced to fund the lifestyles of council employees who are doing just fine thank you.
Take Hampshire County Council for instance. Incredibly they paid £281million into the pension scheme last year. True it was three years contributions but it meant that every member of staff received £4,658 from the good people of the county. How incredible.
Could I suggest you start by putting pressure on your local councillors who appear to have done nothing over the years but nod through these disgraceful pension arrangements.
And if they won’t do anything (you can be sure Labour councillors won’t) then start agitating for new candidates to come forward who will take on these vested interests.
Publicity is always helpful. It annoys those in power but it shines a spotlight on what is going on. The death of local journalism means councils are getting away with all sorts without being held to account. Go on the socials and create a newsworthy name.
It is clearly wrong that £1 in every £4 of your council tax is funding somebody else’s lifestyle while you are struggling. Rise up and do something about it.