The Cost of Church Protest

Campaigning Campanologist Chris Cooper, I do adore that alliteration, is back in the press this Christmas with the results from a Freedom of Information Request on the cost of Church Protest.

The figure, an alarming £52,000 does make one wonder where our council tax goes in Ashford.

The majority of public bodies have their own legal department, as Ashford Borough Council do. Therefore the justification of an additional solicitor's annual salary is nothing short of bizarre.

The revelations of figures on the redevelopment alone are concerning. Working Lunches have been denounced by the central government as wastes of money in the face of austerity. However, those involved in the redevelopment need not show such parsimony, with £161 for a sandwich lunch. How many people did this feed, one asks?

The cost of cutting down a tree is an unfortunate addition to the figures at £1200 is a shocking introduction into the allegedly cost effective commissioning of outside agencies to conduct the work.

Of course, the bonus for councils in the commissioning of outside bodies, is those bodies are not covered by the Freedom of Information Act and such contracts cannot be scrutinised by the Public to ascertain cost effective and legitimate spending.

Let us hope that with a move towards Mutualism with the current national government, we will not see such squandering of resources in the future.