Andy Burnham left behind a labyrinthine bureaucracy and eye-watering staffing costs across Greater Manchester during his tenure as mayor, tax expert William Yarwood has claimed.
Speaking to GB News, the campaigns director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance said the cost of combined authorities across England had doubled in just five years.
Greater Manchester was among those seeing a significant increase in highly paid staff as the Prime Minister has promised further devolution across the UK.
“All it’s going to bring is more taxpayer-funded bureaucrats for local taxpayers to be paying for,” Mr Yarwood predicted of Mr Burnham’s plans.
Research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance found between 2019 and 2024, staffing costs across existing combined authorities doubled to more than £341 million.
Mr Yarwood highlighted Greater Manchester as a particular example, saying the authority had 579 staff earning more than £50,000 a year by 2024, compared with 163 in 2020.
He said: “While Mr Burnham was mayor of Manchester, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority expanded its reach, expanded its bureaucracy and expanded its staffing costs.
“A lot of these guys are not just getting their salary. They’ll also have a lovely gold-plated public sector pension, which me and you and all your viewers at home will have to watch and pick up for.”
Tax expert William Yarwood has delved into Andy Burnham’s bureaucratic legacy
|
GB NEWS
The campaigner also highlighted the salary of Caroline Simpson, the chief executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, who he said earns almost £250,000 a year.
“It’s completely crazy,” Mr Yarwood exclaimed, adding: “This is just classic local government. This is just classic public sector.”
He argued there was often no clear link between senior public sector officials’ performance and their pay.
“I’ve talked to you many times about town hall bosses, about people in NHS trusts earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a year. And there’s never any link between performance and pay. Never any link at all.”
The Prime Minister, and former Mayor of Manchester, has promised to deliver further devolution acorss the UK
|
PA
Mr Yarwood then addressed increases in staffing costs elsewhere, saying the salary bill in the West of England rose from £4.2million to £20million.
Meanwhile, West Midlands salaries rose from £29million to £60million over the same five-year period.
He warned devolution could create an additional layer of bureaucracy rather than simply transferring power from Whitehall to local communities.
“All he’s doing is creating another layer of bureaucracy on top of councils that already exist,” the tax expert said, explaining: “You’re just building up another layer of bureaucracy.”
Mr Yarwood also raised concerns over the taxation powers available to combined authorities, arguing they could increase local charges without the same restrictions placed on council tax.
He pointed to the Greater Manchester combined authority precept, which he said had increased to around £130 a year.
The tax expert also criticised proposals for combined authorities to introduce tourism taxes, warning such measures could add further costs to holidays and stays.
“This tourism tax they want to introduce will add an extra £100, £150 on top of the overall cost of your holiday or staycation,” he said.
“It’s completely egregious. It’s cynical tax grabs, and I’m not sure how this is good for taxpayers or for Brits more broadly.”