23-Dec-2006
Labour Hypocrisy over TV Licence Fee increase
Perhaps we should applaud Tessa Jowell and Gordon Brown over their hard negotiations with the BBC to peg increases in the licence fee to be below inflation over the next 5 years.
If reports are correct, then the Government failed to be convinced of the need to have above inflation increases and instead wanted some demonstration of Gordon's 'prudence'.
It is a shame that there is no better control exercised over local authorities spending patterns. As we arrive towards the new year, council tax bills will start dropping on household doormats for the 2007/8 Fiscal Year and if every other year is replicated, we will see an above inflation rise without any appreciable increase in services.
Maybe instead of electing councillors, we should have companies tendering to run local authorities overseen by councillors; If private companies tendered to provide the local authority services, they should take on the commercial risks of overspend to to meet the local authority plan tendered for.
At the moment local authority services are not subject to competition and they should be. Councillors should be held to account for the delivery of the agreed plan, but its actual execution should be via business professionals.
If reports are correct, then the Government failed to be convinced of the need to have above inflation increases and instead wanted some demonstration of Gordon's 'prudence'.
It is a shame that there is no better control exercised over local authorities spending patterns. As we arrive towards the new year, council tax bills will start dropping on household doormats for the 2007/8 Fiscal Year and if every other year is replicated, we will see an above inflation rise without any appreciable increase in services.
Maybe instead of electing councillors, we should have companies tendering to run local authorities overseen by councillors; If private companies tendered to provide the local authority services, they should take on the commercial risks of overspend to to meet the local authority plan tendered for.
At the moment local authority services are not subject to competition and they should be. Councillors should be held to account for the delivery of the agreed plan, but its actual execution should be via business professionals.
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