Paul,
I disagree.
Take Deal Town Council.
To the best of my knowledge they are responsible for four things.
Toilets (which they sub contract to DDC), allotments,flower baskets and the Saturday Market.
That's all folks!
To discarge these obligation their Income (2018-19): £437,350 made up of £385866 precept and £51,484 DTC (when I was last on the Council).
This apparently required Staff: 3 full time & NINE part time. (Wages bill (2018-19): £211,076 (includes employer’s NI & employer’s pension contributions)
The NINE part time workers by this had an entry to Working Hours Benefits
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/working-hours-benefits-rules/how-are-benefits-affected-by-hours-worked so their income was subsidised by you and I through your taxes.
To keep them all busy they spent their time and our council tax on the 'climate emergency', becoming a 'town of sanctuary' for refugees, becoming a 'fair trade' town and various other right-on causes.
Their profligacy is unbelievable with a little used electric-hybrid SUV for the mayor, £10,000 of electric bikes 'to encourage cycling' which have spent most of the last two years deteriorating in a rusty shipping container at the back of Tides, and paying someone with a drone £450 to produce a vijo (local pronunciation) of some people walking down the pier to name but three.
'Winter Lights Event 2023: Members RESOLVED: To agree a budget of
£500 for refreshments supplied by Deal Pier Kitchen for the event and if a
free local volunteer photographer, drone or videographer cannot be found
within two weeks of this meeting then to fund a drone at a cost of £450 to
film the event. '
I trust they enjoyed their up to £500 of hot chocolate
