Thursday May 15

Blogs

12.30pm, West Midlands
Fiona McEvoy:
West Midlands Police pay out six-figure sum

West Midlands Police acted like a dog with a bone, and now money that should have been directed into real and legitimate policing in this area has been wasted, not to mention the staff hours that should have been spent making this area safer. And when the vast expenditure of the West Midlands Police Authority is coupled with such costly misdemeanours on behalf of the police themselves, no-one could blame local taxpayers for expressing concern over just how recklessly their money has been managed... - Read More

10.00am, Campaign
Tim Aker:
Snouts in the Trough: Nick Clegg MP

So we now do what we do best – hold him to account.  Ask him why he decided to hand us the bill for his home improvements.  Furthermore, if you live in his constituency go and see him.  Here are the contact details for Nick Clegg as well as the contact number for you to book an appointment at his surgery... - Read More

11.30am, Campaign
Tim Aker:
Government to pass the buck on sentencing

To award a sentence based on the lack of prison places risks pathetically lenient sentences for the most heinous criminals.  Because the government failed to build new prisons they can see the storm coming and – if the Sentencing Commission comes into force – they will put their hands up and say “I’m not to blame for lenient sentences, the Sentencing Commission is” - Read More

Media Coverage

- Anger as sleaze watchdog rules £4,000 taxi bill for Speaker's wife was 'not excessive'

"The Commons standards and privileges committee endorsed his ruling - a decision which angered the TaxPayers' Alliance which had lodged the original complaint. The alliance's Mark Wallace said: "The commissioner's report suggests these trips were more for food for the Martins than for official functions.

"If so, it's shocking that they are able to use taxpayers' money for taxis to do their domestic grocery shopping. If this is within the rules, then the rules urgently need tightening up." - Full Article

- New Bin Tax Bombshell

"Mark Wallace, campaign director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said the Government would be charging hard-pressed families twice for removing their rubbish by imposing extra costs on top of council tax.

“The Government seems hell-bent on making families who are already faced with soaring council taxes pay through the nose for services they used to get as part of the council tax deal.

“These bin taxes will simply increase the suffering of households around the country and drive up the amount of fly-tipping. They are effectively charging us twice.”" - Full Article

- Speaker's wife right to spend £4,000 on taxis

"John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, dismissed a complaint from Mark Wallace, the campaign director for the Taxpayers' Alliance, that the Speaker had abused rules in allowing his wife to spend so much on taxis. MPs on the Standards and Privileges Committee also deprecated Wallace for releasing details of his complaint to the media before Lyon had completed his inquiry." - Full Article

- Mark Wallace discuss the 10p tax saga