Welcome to Surrey Tax Action group (STAG)
 
STAG wanted better local government – especially within Surrey County Council where spending spiralled out of control. This  coincided with a period of poor management resulting in Surrey’s residents suffering many years of above inflation council tax increases, and inexcusably poor road maintenance. We sought constructive positive dialogue with a simple objective: better business practice, improved financial controls and a better deal for resident taxpayers.

 

STAG is not linked to any particular party or group: we simply want better and less costly local government. We also want ‘accountability’ properly done. Our supporters include people with specialist knowledge of finance, business management and communications. Become a STAG supporter today – no subscriptions or donations, just your support – click on Support STAG to register.


Our efforts have influenced better performance from  Surrey CC. Highway maintenance is improving. For ‘accountability’ it is now  producing  Annual Reports up to that for 2016-17. But it needs to be delivered to engage voters. We the people who now have the universal franchise and with it voting responsibility need to know what is at stake. Wider government and former Secretary of State Eric Pickles in a personal letter made claims for newly defined data disclosures seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are not new in financial statements. And disclosure has to be seen not filed away. 


All this was pre-dated by  personal shock and disbelief at the unprofessional state of governance and voter engagement: Government doesn't practise much that it prescribes in law. The state of the public finances shows that it performs poorly at  large-scale procurement and commissioning, big-project planning skills, financial and general management and operations, and accountability. The Treasury is the 'weakest link': there hasn't been a  financial system as normally understood. The institution that is government is financially illiterate. There is no proper system of democratic discharge and renewal. The senior civil service as it is is not now the right apparatus for the interventionist government environment that we have been living in since WW2. Managerial prowess is required to lead us to economic success in a competitive world. 

 

STAG was a member of the TaxPayers Alliance since its inception until  November 2013 having failed to reach accord on the meaning of 'accountability' and 'better government'.


See also UPDATES at Links and data sources

 

Latest News & Views From STAG

  • Submission to the NAO Attempts to influence the National Audit Office 'direction of travel' have matured into increasing certainty that it is the Comptroller (& Auditor General) role that requires attention.Coinciding with the appointment ...
    Posted 22 Feb 2020, 04:14 by Peter Webb
  • How will the 2019 Election mend broken government? Off they go again on the Campaign trail. They still treat us like medieval peasants to be bought with our own 'money tree' money by promises of paradise.  We are ...
    Posted 31 Oct 2019, 07:38 by Peter Webb
  • CITIZEN TAXPAYERS - BE INFORMED  Your MP won't bother to account to you but here is non-political factual stuff meant for you as well as Parliament. Have a look. Be brave. Explore. Don ...
    Posted 3 Jun 2019, 02:31 by Peter Webb
  • Untitled Post
    Posted 3 Jun 2019, 02:09 by Peter Webb
  • Surrey CC issues profit warning Surrey County Council effectively issued a profit warning months ago. There is the threat of a Commissioner coming in to take over.  The Conservative leadership is aware but not inspiring ...
    Posted 24 Oct 2018, 03:27 by Peter Webb
Showing posts 1 - 5 of 94. View more »
 
 Taking 1997-98 as a base SCC gross spending has by 2007-08 more than doubled and by 2011-12 had reached 136%. This implies a rate of expanding productive activity and value enhancement at a similar rate. But Surrey is still Surrey. It’s land area is the same. It’s population is largely unchanged, and miles of road are constant. How can such a cost increase be supported or understood by resident taxpayers ?.
 
Now, at last, it has been admitted that "our costs were spriralling out of control". One County...One Team, February 2012. 

The council is insolvent due to the large past-service pension deficit.
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Only in 2009 has the government started to produce proper consolidated accounts....but only up to 2014-15 since when they have stopped.  Those for the fifth year to 31st March 2014 reveal the balance sheet bottom line at minus £1.8 trillion  “funded by future revenue” – our grandchildren’s burden on top of taxes to fund current spending in later years.

 

Why should taxpayers and UK plc, present and future,  have to ‘stand the racket’ for incontinent government ?