More money wasted on waste at Tower Shamlets

Early this year we released our Town Hall Rich List which showed that Tower Hamlets, one of the poorest boroughs in the country, had 27 employees earning more than £100,000 a year. One of those 27 individuals was a Mr Alex Cosgrave, who earns £148,173.38 as Corporate Director of Environment and Culture.

According to the council recycling league tables announced today, which name Tower Hamlets as the worse council in the country for recycling, Mr Cosgrave is not exactly providing the service local taxpayers must expect for forking out that much each year for his services. This is despite the fact that the council has spent £3.5 million in the last year alone attempting to expand its services, including council workers "doorstepping householders to encourage them to be greener" and local mosques "encouraged to spread the word at prayers."

Not only that, but the council proudly announces that it offers £50 vouchers to 10 properties each month who dispose of their rubbish in a manner the council deems fit. Clearly all this taxpayers’ money that is being thrown around by the council is not working, so predictably there is talk of wasting yet more money. Apparently central government is thinking of wading in to increase recycling in Tower Hamlets - "In 2006 the government threatened to send in a recycling "hit squad" to Tower Hamlets."

At this rate, it won’t be long before government starts doling money out to people who monitor their neighbour’s recycling patterns and then run off to the local council office to snitch on them.

Comments

[Edd]

What reactionary rubbish! Tower Hamlets is one of the poorest boroughs in the country, with a large percentage of people that don't speak English, and thus it is not a great surprise that they have the lowest recycling rate. It is entirely justified to try to change the behaviour patterns of the residents there but that is not an easy or cost free task. If we really consider recycling to have a social value it is justified that we spend some money on trying to make it happen. As for the pay of Mr Alex Cosgrave - someone who is responsible for both all the environment services of the council - not just - and also all the cultural services provided by the council a pay check a little higher than that of a good GP is not so unreasonable.

By the way I don't work for the council or know Mr Alex Cosgrave personally!

[SpudHead]

Edd, why do you justify such high salaries for bureaucrats? I doubt Cosgrave actually goes out on the streets and talks people into recycling. Instead he probably sits in a plush office shuffling paper.

Tower Shamlets is a disgraceful borough, paying pointless council hacks unbelievable amounts while residents live in grinding poverty.

[Edd]

I wouldn't expect Cosgrave to go out into the street and talk people into recycling - that would genuinely be a waste of his time. What he probably does is spend hours developing strategies to try to get people to recycle which can then be utilised by other people in the Environment department of Tower Hamlets council. He is trying to change the behaviour of 200,000 people which is not something that happens over night. Why does everything have to happen now. This second. It takes time for initiatives to show results, it takes time for it to become unacceptable not to recycle in a community that doesn't recycle. Cosgrave has a big job on his hands and if in the next 2-3 years we don't see progress on this and many of the other initiatives that he is responsible for we can then say that he is a waste of money. Lets give the guy a chance to deliver.

[Simon]

special effort guys, shows how much research you do before slagging all off left right an centre...Ms Cosgrave is a woman. but seriously well done