UK NEWS
PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS SCANDAL
Philip Hammond: Critical of government
Wednesday December 31,2008
By Alison Little, Deputy Politcal Editor
ALARMING new evidence emerged today of how the taxpayer is funding a public sector boom while millions of private sector workers see their jobs and wages shrink.
Civil servants now enjoy better salaries than their private sector counterparts, have bigger pay rises and still take 50 per cent more sick days each year, latest research has found.
In a disclosure that will anger millions of struggling families worried about their prospects in the economic downturn, it has emerged that many of the public sector roles are in what have been dubbed “non-jobs”.
Public sector jobs and pay have ballooned under Gordon Brown, research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance has shown.
The so-called “non-jobs” include a street football coordinator for Moray Council in north-east Scotland, earning £19,887 a year, an enviro-crime enforcement officer at Lambeth Council in London, on up to £30,774 a year, a climate change manager for Braintree Council, Essex, on up to £38,556 a year and the head of participation and inclusion – a role to encourage young people to play musical instruments – at Hertfordshire County Council on up to £42,197 a year.
TPA chief executive Matthew Elliott said: “In times of economic hardship, it is vitally important that the public sector tightens its belt, just as families are having to.
“Taxpayers can’t afford for quangos and councils to splash out on ‘non-jobs’ that would be an indulgence in economic good times.”
Conservative Shadow Chief Secretary Philip Hammond said: “Hard-pressed families facing 2009 with their savings vanishing and their jobs uncertain will be horrified that in contrast to the mounting job losses in the private sector, the public sector is expanding.
“If this is Gordon Brown’s idea of the Government tightening its belt, no wonder we are in this mess.”
The TPA research analysed official statistics to underline how private sector workers are carrying an ever-heavier burden of tax.
Public sector staff not only often enjoy better pay but also benefit from more job security and gold-plated, taxpayer-guaranteed final salary pensions which most will be able to claim at 60 while other people have to work to 65 or longer.
The most recent available information for the third quarter of 2008 showed that public sector employment increased by 14,000 while it fell by 128,000 in the private sector.
Average salaries in 2008 were £21,413 in the public sector, 3.4 per cent higher than the £20,715 average for the private sector.
Since 2000 average annual public sector pay has risen by 37.1 per cent while the increase for private company employees was 30.5 per cent.
Surveys have shown that the ave–rage public sector worker takes nine days off sick a year, against fewer than six in the private sector.
And public sector bodies are still recruiting many “jobs of dubious value”, the Alliance claimed.
But a Treasury spokesman said: “The Government has made a priority of fair remuneration for teachers, nurses, doctors, police officers and other public servants.
“At the same time, we’ve exceeded targets for efficiency savings by more than £5billion, releasing funds for vital front-line public services.”
The Local Government Association, which represents councils, also hit back at claims of “non-jobs”.
A spokesman said: “Local councils are having to tighten their belts in exactly the same way that hard-pressed families are.”
“From lollipop ladies to street cleaners and librarians, town halls employ people that provide over 800 vital services that many local residents rely on to get through the day.”
PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS SCANDAL
05.01.09, 12:27pm
before everyone gets annoyed at all the civil servants i would like to bring to the publics attention that not all civil servants earn vast amounts of money.i work in the scottish court service and my gross wage is £14,300 if you call this a living wage then you are completely mad. There are a lot of low paid workers within the civil service who take the flack and do meaningful jobs they are still there because they enjoy what they do. Some even claim tax credits to supplement there income so before the public start shouting think about the low paid worker who again is getting well and truly stuffed by the government who expect us to agree to a 2% wage rise again.
• Posted by: bigjohn • Report Comment
PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS SCANDAL
05.01.09, 12:18pm
With regards to this article...
• Posted by: bigjohn • Report Comment
WATCHKEEPER
01.01.09, 1:37pm
I agree 100% with your statement about the overload of Norfok MP's.
Take Gt Yarmouths MP. A complete waste of time and money. He does nothing for Yarmouth or the surrounding areas, unless it means getting his face in the paper. If you require help in a matter all you get is a standard reply letter. As for the Local rag, well They are always crawling round him and reporting rubbish.
This man is a complete waste of money and should be sacked
• Posted by: KarlH • Report Comment
AVERAGE WAGE
01.01.09, 12:48pm
We keep getting told that the average wage is around £25K to £27K. Now you say that public sector averages are only £21K. In the civil service, one in four earn less than £16K and over half earn less than £20K. Has this paper just cherry picked some figures and rolled out the usual glib inflammatory statements? Early last year, the average civil servants pension was just £4.7K. Hardly gold plated now is it?
• Posted by: jonocynic9 • Report Comment
LEGALLY REMOVE THE POWER OF TAXATION FROM WESTMINSTER.
01.01.09, 11:57am
It is quite simple for all Businesses to change the way they are registered and become just a holding Company. Then set up an Agency in your chosen "TaxHaven", and then carry on running your business from there. Especially the employment of ALL your Staff.
You will then be in a position to pay your people
their entire income. So that they can Bank it Off-Shore. Their duty is then to inform their nearest Tax Office of this arrangement, explaining that they are no longer Liable for the payment of Direct Taxation to the British Gov'.
At one time there was a National Insurance payment of just £2.50 a week that you would have been entitled to. But I'm not sure if that is still the case.
Believe me, it is possible for every Business and every Employee to abandon all payment of Taxation to Westminster. Instead, you the Taxpayer, set up a system based on your Parish, Town and County Council.
I have spoken to Daniel Cox, Leader of Norfolk County Council about this and I believe he is sympathetic to the idea. He has also made sensible suggestions about the restructuring of the Norfolk Administration nightmare. (You will find a story in the Eastern Daily Press, about a year ago, of a district Council who sacked some twelve Managers. No one even realised they had gone. No one missed them.)
Oh! Yes, Daniel Cox. In their wisdom, the Conservative Party have De-Selected him as of this coming election. Well, we can't have Council Leaders going round saving, about £300. Million of Taxpayers money can we. The next time you look, all the 43 Counties of England might be doing it.
Believe me, if you put your mind to it, you can remove the power to Levy Taxation, from the Government of the day, completely. And you can decide how many Members you want to send to Westminster and how much money you will pay them. Norfolk has EIGHT MPs. That is four, five or even six, to many. What do the readers of this comment think???
Enough for now, Kindest Regards, and I wish you all a Happy New Year. Regardless of Politics and Politicians.
ATFlynn, "Norfolk's Mutineer"
• Posted by: Watchkeeper • Report Comment
PUBLIC SECTOR JOB SCANDAL
31.12.08, 10:16pm
im afraid its the way it has always been,years ago the kings and queens of the country would have tax collectors and if you didnt pay they would kick down the door and take something of value ,whats changed .today its more like organised crime with council office workers and politicians taking the mickey ,with golden pensions and massive salaries ,even someone working part time can earn up to 18k just doing basic work ,heads of councils can now earn over 100 k ,whilst the general public have to scrimp and scrape to pay our council taxes and proberly work untill we are over seventy the mafia council staff and politicians retire at 60.no one would moan if we had the services we payed for but the country is an absolute discrace with services failing the public ,perhaps its time we had a council tax revolt .
• Posted by: crazyhorse • Report Comment
To view all 'Have Your Say' comments, click this button...