Read a lengthy article based on research by the Taxpayers Alliance (what a fun gang this lot must be) that left me thorough pissed off with the jaded, mean spirited carping side of our political culture. The article was highlighting some mammoth sums allegedly wasted by the public sector. Now I am all for efficiency and accountability. But much of what made up this number was of dubious provenance. This applied to their figures big and small. The biggest item was a notional difference between what public sector pensions are and what they would be in the private sector. Without a genuine and detailed review of the total reward packages for equivalent roles between the public and private world it is completely bogus to focus on one single part of the equation and say it's waste. For example if these services were being delivered in the private sector we would have to pay for shareholder dividends.
But even more churlish were some of the smaller items. It sneered at the £9000.00 spent on ipads by Bury Council to be used in the enforcement of recycling. Why is that a waste? I would suggest that ipads are a very effective tool for capturing and communicating evidence. £30000 spent on a newt sanctuary. Well the council in question is required to do this as some newts are a protected species. I may not be munch interested in newts, but if we care about protecting our natural environment then sometimes it will cost a few quid.
Stories about the public servants who routinely go above and beyond are not news. I work with people who are passionate about the communities they serve, and rather than skimming the public purse give way beyond their contracted hours. But more than this, if we fall into accepting a narrative that all public servants are either incompetent or grasping it reinforces a mean spirited culture that makes us all poorer.
But even more churlish were some of the smaller items. It sneered at the £9000.00 spent on ipads by Bury Council to be used in the enforcement of recycling. Why is that a waste? I would suggest that ipads are a very effective tool for capturing and communicating evidence. £30000 spent on a newt sanctuary. Well the council in question is required to do this as some newts are a protected species. I may not be munch interested in newts, but if we care about protecting our natural environment then sometimes it will cost a few quid.
Stories about the public servants who routinely go above and beyond are not news. I work with people who are passionate about the communities they serve, and rather than skimming the public purse give way beyond their contracted hours. But more than this, if we fall into accepting a narrative that all public servants are either incompetent or grasping it reinforces a mean spirited culture that makes us all poorer.
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