MANCHESTER COUNCIL CASH WASTE WATCH

[Corrupt council]

400,000 on a private Alicia keys concert
700,000 on legal fees to purchase a building
750,000 on hotel chains legal fees
100,000 on tony Lloyd to be the police commissioner
38,000 on face book and twitter csar for the council


That's just this year , don't forget 1 in 8 staff are about to be sacked by the council in the coming year.

[Carl]

Sadly, even the government is guilty of wasting taxpayers money.  When it comes to essential services which benefit the public, you hear the same old "sorry, there's no money available" palaver.  But they seem to find millions on silly projects - mainly for abroad at that.  And then their answer is to increase taxes to recoup what they've wasted.   

[Corrupt council]

I agree Carl ,the government are in a class of there own when it comes to spending our money.
Until we get to grip with the local issues of wasting our council tax then we have no chance of telling the government what to do.

[Corrupt council]

Update -

£10,000 monthly fee Peter savile for graphics for the council.

120,000 a year for a creative director. Who has no mandate by the people of manchester

[TrueMancunian]

I'm intregued by the statement that there is no mandate for the job of creative director.. I wasn't aware the council needed a mandate to employ a director of social services or chief exec so why is that job any different? You might not think that there is a need for that role but as lay people you and I don't know what's required in every department within the town hall.

[Jim44]

[quote author=Corrupt council  £10,000 monthly fee Peter savile for graphics for the council.120,000 a year for a creative director. Who has no mandate by the people of manchester


What does a 'creative director' do?

[Cupcake]

This particular Creative Director role is about making sure all the different bits of marketing and promoting Manchester get done properly and coherently.  Came into sharp focus after the Games created so much attention and goodwill - made sense to capitalise on that and keep the ball rolling in terms of attracting tourists and businesses to boost the economy.  Getting it all done properly, getting everyone singing from the same hymn sheet and not putting your foot in it is actually a very complicated job, and you need someone with a good track record in the commercial world to make a decent job of it.  Which means paying the kind of money such people earn in the commercial world.  If he's any good, he makes it back for you many times over - which is the part that some people don't take into account. 
 
Councillors by definition have a mandate to act for the people who voted them into office, and that includes appointing employees and consultants.  True, the Creative Director wasn't directly elected by the voters - but neither were the tea lady or the toilet cleaner or all the other employees.  You can't have an election every time there's a job going..... 
 

[Wytchfynder]

Absolute disgrace the way local councils blow money on pointless garbage whilst neglecting the elderly and disabled and others in genuine need.

[Corrupt council]

The trouble is inertia from the general public we just accept that we are going to be stolen from.
As for the apologist and defenders of the public officials they just make any rational person shake there head in is belief.

[Wytchfynder]

I heard somewhere that £400 of the annual council tax bill is to pay the pensions of local council employees.  What a rip off.

[Corrupt council]

I can't find anything supporting that on the PDF breakdown however it could come under some other  jargon and been hidden in there.


I did find a section that said increase pension costs 1.3 percent but it does not say how much is being spent on pensions.

[Manchester Man]

I heard somewhere that £400 of the annual council tax bill is to pay the pensions of local council employees.  What a rip off.

I understand that until quite recently Councillors received a public funded addition to a Pension and they're not employees.

I think the Government has now stopped it.

ATB
Ray.

[Wytchfynder]

There's another waste of money..why 3 Councillors per ward?  We don't have 3 MPs per seat.

[Corrupt council]

That's a very good question does any one know why there are 3 councillors and one mp?
Why do we have that system.

[Wytchfynder]

No idea matey, always seemed crazy system to me. Presumably its to keep that gravy train a' rolling.