Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fund lobbyists
Individuals should never be forced to subsidize advocacy that runs counter to their beliefs or interests. Source link
All posts tagged: Taxpayers
Outrage at Britain’s ‘most expensive’ cycle lane costing taxpayers £4,198 per metre
A 1.2km cycle lane in Willenhall, West Midlands, UK, has been criticised as a “monumental waste of public money” after costing more than £5 million – around £4,198 per metre. Locals and businesses say the part‑finished route is confusing, forcing cyclists and pedestrians to cross the road multiple times, while long‑running works have damaged trade. Councillor Simran Cheema called for compensation, though Walsall Council says the scheme will improve safer, more direct travel. Source link
Politics Home | Over A Dozen Universities Wrongly Spent £190m Of Taxpayers’ Money On Student Loans
4 min read6 hr Exclusive: A student loans mistake by universities has seen up to £190m of taxpayers’ money wrongly given to unaware students, PoliticsHome can reveal, leaving thousands of them facing repayment orders. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said those students had been “let down” by their higher education providers and accused universities of “incompetence” and “abuse of public money”. According to a Department for Education (DfE) letter sent this week, obtained by PoliticsHome, officials realised that providers were misclassifying weekend-only courses as in-attendance courses. Under the student loan regulations, students on weekend-only courses are not ordinarily eligible for maintenance loan support, as they are classed as distance learners. Around 22,000 students at 15 mostly franchised higher education providers across the country are affected, the DfE estimates, with incorrect payments totalling around £190m this academic year. Ministers are now reviewing student loan regulations to “strengthen protections of public money further”. The DfE declined to confirm to PoliticsHome which providers are affected. Franchising allows universities to subcontract teaching and training to other organisations, such as colleges. …
NS&I warning as taxpayers set to be hit with £400m bill | Personal Finance | Finance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves (Image: Getty) National Savings and Investments (NS&I) is preparing to hand back up to £400 million to around 37,000 savers whose money was misplaced in a major scandal that has left hard-working taxpayers facing the bill. The Government-backed savings giant, which holds £240 billion for more than 24 million customers, is in urgent talks with the Treasury over the payout, expected to be the largest in its 160-year history. The exact sum is still being finalised, but sources indicate it could reach £400m after years of systemic failings that saw life savings lost, bereaved families denied access to funds, and Premium Bond prizes withheld. Treasury officials are working through the “very complex issue”, with the bill likely to fall on the taxpayer. The Treasury provides 100% backing for NS&I deposits, meaning any shortfall comes directly from public funds. Read more: Higher petrol prices, mortgages and council tax as economy in crisis Read more: Rachel Reeves ‘will impose another tax raid or increase borrowing’ amid Iran war The scandal was first exposed by …
Ian Huntley to get ‘minimalist cremation’ with taxpayers contributing up to £3k’ | UK News
The prison service will pay for a ‘minimalist’ cremation to dispose of Ian Huntley’s body, as part of an arrangement with his mother as next of kin. It is not yet clear how much it will cost, but it’s longstanding policy for taxpayers to contribute up to a maximum of £3,000 for any death in custody. It is understood the process will include no mourners and no ceremony. However, this does not necessarily mean Huntley’s next of kin will not attend. Image: HMP Frankland in County Durham. The double murderer, 52, died in hospital on Saturday after allegedly being attacked at the high security jail HMP Frankland, in Durham. Anthony Russell, 43, is accused of murdering Huntley and is due to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday. Huntley, who was known as the Soham killer after murdering 10-year-old friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, had been in a critical condition in hospital. Image: Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Pic: Reuters Sky News understands the prison service will pay for a basic cremation, …
Disgraced Peter Mandelson demanded over £500,000 payout from taxpayers | Politics | News
Peter Mandelson demanded a payout of more than £500,000 after being sacked in disgrace from his role as US ambassador. And while Sir Keir Starmer’s Government refused to pay such a large sum, it did hand the former Labour politician £75,000. The sums are revealed in newly released files that the Government was forced to publish, showing details of Lord Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US and his dismissal. The peer was told to leave Washington after it became clear he had remained close to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein even after the financier’s first conviction. A memo from civil servant Alice McCullough confirms an “agreement to pay the settlement of £75,000 within seven days of the agreed termination date”. The payment included £40,329.50 in lieu of notice and a special severance payment of £34,670.50, with the first £30,000 exempt from income tax. The note dated October 13, 2025, apparently sent to Lord Mandelson’s lawyers, stated: “It is in both parties’ interest to conclude this as quickly as possible and have therefore proposed a termination …
Taxpayers could fund funeral for Soham murderer Ian Huntley | UK News
Taxpayers could pay towards the costs of Ian Huntley’s cremation or funeral, unless his family makes alternative arrangements. The 52-year-old double murderer died in hospital on Saturday after allegedly being attacked by an unknown inmate at HMP Frankland. Huntley, who killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002, had been in a critical condition in hospital after being hit with a metal bar on 26 February. The former school caretaker was allegedly attacked in a workshop at the high-security jail in Durham. Police said earlier that their investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing. It is a longstanding policy for the prison service to contribute up to £3,000 towards basic funeral expenses for any death in custody. The money is only permitted to be paid directly to a funeral director, and must be used to cover “reasonable costs” which include a “simple” coffin, a hearse, and cremation or burial fees. It cannot be used for a headstone, flowers or order of service sheets, or other expenses considered “non-reasonable”, such …
Fury as UK taxpayers pay another £80m a year over migrants | UK | News
Protesters march from Crowborough Training Camp, (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images) British taxpayers are forking out £80m every year for failed asylum seekers to appeal against their rejected claims, shock new data reveals. Each case is costing an average of £4,000 meaning a total of £79.5 million was spent on the administrative costs of hearing asylum appeals in the 2024-25 financial year, according to official figures released in response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request. The cost has increased by more than a quarter compared with the previous year due to the number of asylum seekers appealing against rejected claims soaring. The number of rejected people waiting to appeal against the decision almost doubled from 34,234 in 2024 to 69,670 last year. However, only a fraction of these case were heard at an immigration tribunal. In the 2024-25 financial year just 20,126 asylum appeals were heard and decided by immigration and asylum tribunals at a cost of £3,786 each. Almost half (46%) proved successful. The costs related to the internal administrative bill of hearing …
1m people miss self-assessment cut-off with 475,722 taxpayers filing on last day
Those who have missed the self-assessment deadline face a £100 penalty. Source link
UK’s top 100 taxpayers revealed – and who has contributed the most to a record £5.7bn? | UK News
Anthony Joshua, JK Rowling and Mo Salah have been named among the UK’s 100 biggest taxpayers. The billionaire brothers behind gambling giant Betfred topped the rankings of The Sunday Times Tax List 2026 for the first time, surpassing musicians, entrepreneurs and sports stars. Fred and Peter Done, who founded the Warrington-based business in 1967, paid out an estimated £400.1m in tax over the past year, according to the annual list. It came after their tax bill climbed by almost half from £273.4m a year earlier. Image: JK Rowling. Pic: Reuters Financial trading entrepreneur Alex Gerko ranked second on the list with £331.4m in tax, followed by hedge fund boss Chris Rokos, who paid £330m. Elsewhere, Harry Styles was among the new entries to the list, in 54th place, paying £24.7m in tax. The former One Direction member-turned-solo artist is set to release his fourth studio album in March. Read more from Sky News:Riz Ahmed hopes his ‘visceral’ Hamlet will be shown in schoolsYellow warning for parts of England already hit by severe rain Billionaire businessman …