There was some consternation among Guido Fawkes readers when it was revealed the Department for Work and Pensions has spent £7.6 million on translators and interpreters for benefit claimants.
That provoked me to check bankrupt Birmingham City Council’s spending and it turns out in the past two years, the local taxpayers have forked out £916,800 under the same two headings.
In all, £716,000 went on translation and £200,800 on interpreters in Birmingham in the two years to June. Which makes you wonder how much money is being spent all over the country and what languages are involved. I somehow doubt if Spanish or French are much called for.
https://order-order.com/2025/07/25/exc-taxpayer-forks-out-7-7-million-on-translation-in-just-one-year-for-benefit-claimants/#comments
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Friday, July 18, 2025
Why is world cricket ignoring Imran's cruel fate?
Why are cricketers ancient and modern ignoring the fate of the man who is arguably the sport’s greatest all-rounder, Imran Khan?
Where are the protests? Where are the strongly-worded condemnations and ineffectual flappings of impotent outrage? Where is the boycott of Pakistan’s cricket team?
What’s the difference between Vlad Putin jailing his opponents on fatuous, transparently trumped-up charges and Pakistan’s military junta doing exactly the same thing?
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/imran-khans-call-from-jail-hold-asim-munir-accountable-if-anything-happens-to-me-alleges-harsh-treatment/articleshow/122581528.cms
Where are the protests? Where are the strongly-worded condemnations and ineffectual flappings of impotent outrage? Where is the boycott of Pakistan’s cricket team?
What’s the difference between Vlad Putin jailing his opponents on fatuous, transparently trumped-up charges and Pakistan’s military junta doing exactly the same thing?
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/imran-khans-call-from-jail-hold-asim-munir-accountable-if-anything-happens-to-me-alleges-harsh-treatment/articleshow/122581528.cms
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Follow the money (down the drain)
Without wishing to stir things up for Unison and Birmingham Council, it seemed worth checking out bin-related online expenditure data.
Birmingham Council says, so it must be true: “We strongly refute any suggestion that agency workers have been carrying out work normally undertaken by striking workers. We continue to deploy the same number of agency workers on days of action as it we would on any normal working days.”
Odd, though, as the cost of agency workers listed under the heading ‘fleet and waste operations’ was £7.1 million in the first six months of 2024 and £13.1 million in the same period this year.
Total spending under the heading ‘fleet and waste operations’ was £38.3 million in the first six months of 2025 compared with £35.8 million at the same time last year.
An appalling cynic might think that, as the bin strike drags on, the council is spending a small fortune filling the void with temporary binpersons despite its strong refutation.
I did ask the council if there was any explanation for the rise in the employment of agency staff other than the obvious but, as usual, answer came there none.
Unite claims the strike is over plans to downgrade 171 people at a cost to each dustperson of £8,000 a year, ie £1.4 million (the council says only 17 people would lose £6,000 each, ie £102,000). Meanwhile, one way and another, Extra Personnel Ltd is cleaning up.
As it’s a nostalgic month for Birmingham music (Black Sabbath, ELO) here’s a Longbridge-inspired ditty (RIP Dave Cousins):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J56IicSNuEY
Birmingham Council says, so it must be true: “We strongly refute any suggestion that agency workers have been carrying out work normally undertaken by striking workers. We continue to deploy the same number of agency workers on days of action as it we would on any normal working days.”
Odd, though, as the cost of agency workers listed under the heading ‘fleet and waste operations’ was £7.1 million in the first six months of 2024 and £13.1 million in the same period this year.
Total spending under the heading ‘fleet and waste operations’ was £38.3 million in the first six months of 2025 compared with £35.8 million at the same time last year.
An appalling cynic might think that, as the bin strike drags on, the council is spending a small fortune filling the void with temporary binpersons despite its strong refutation.
I did ask the council if there was any explanation for the rise in the employment of agency staff other than the obvious but, as usual, answer came there none.
Unite claims the strike is over plans to downgrade 171 people at a cost to each dustperson of £8,000 a year, ie £1.4 million (the council says only 17 people would lose £6,000 each, ie £102,000). Meanwhile, one way and another, Extra Personnel Ltd is cleaning up.
As it’s a nostalgic month for Birmingham music (Black Sabbath, ELO) here’s a Longbridge-inspired ditty (RIP Dave Cousins):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J56IicSNuEY
Wednesday, July 02, 2025
Birmingham's £10 million-a-month habit
Good news and bad news. The good news is Birmingham City Council has been warned of the huge cost of employing temporary staff almost permanently.
The bad news is that the warning was issued 22 years ago by former councillor Mike Olley, when the cost to the local taxpayer came to a then-worrying £19.3 million.
Today, the cost of temporary staff can conservatively be put at £10 million.
Every month.
The 2003 report highlighted lack of financial control, management failure, lack of ‘quality control’ over the people recruited and pointed out the private sector didn’t immediately call a temping agency every time a vacancy needed filling short-term. ‘There is a clear recognition of the need to challenge unnecessary cost,’ the report said.
What do we find today? In the first five months of this year, the council paid Hays Specialist Recruitment £41 million, Extra Personnel £5 million and £6 million on agency teachers. £51 million in five months or £10 million a month.
In 2003, Coun Olley said: ‘Whilst the motivations and level of accountability are different in the public sector, this does not mean that we should not seek to operate to the same level of efficiency as the private sector. Certainly in a climate where we as a Council need to find £31m in 2003/4 and £42m in 2004/5, we are in no position to discount how economies with agency staff might contribute to this.’
£31 million and £42 million? Ha! Chickenfeed.
A spokesperson from Hays, said: ‘Hays has worked with Birmingham City Council operating as their managed service provider since 2017. We supply a broad range of temporary workers across roles including finance, admin, social care, project management HR and technology.’
Obviously most of the cash the council pays Hays and others goes in wages and tax but it seems reasonable to assume 10 per cent is profit. In its 2024 annual report, Hays reported a profit of £105 million on a £1.1 billion turnover.
The bad news is that the warning was issued 22 years ago by former councillor Mike Olley, when the cost to the local taxpayer came to a then-worrying £19.3 million.
Today, the cost of temporary staff can conservatively be put at £10 million.
Every month.
The 2003 report highlighted lack of financial control, management failure, lack of ‘quality control’ over the people recruited and pointed out the private sector didn’t immediately call a temping agency every time a vacancy needed filling short-term. ‘There is a clear recognition of the need to challenge unnecessary cost,’ the report said.
What do we find today? In the first five months of this year, the council paid Hays Specialist Recruitment £41 million, Extra Personnel £5 million and £6 million on agency teachers. £51 million in five months or £10 million a month.
In 2003, Coun Olley said: ‘Whilst the motivations and level of accountability are different in the public sector, this does not mean that we should not seek to operate to the same level of efficiency as the private sector. Certainly in a climate where we as a Council need to find £31m in 2003/4 and £42m in 2004/5, we are in no position to discount how economies with agency staff might contribute to this.’
£31 million and £42 million? Ha! Chickenfeed.
A spokesperson from Hays, said: ‘Hays has worked with Birmingham City Council operating as their managed service provider since 2017. We supply a broad range of temporary workers across roles including finance, admin, social care, project management HR and technology.’
Obviously most of the cash the council pays Hays and others goes in wages and tax but it seems reasonable to assume 10 per cent is profit. In its 2024 annual report, Hays reported a profit of £105 million on a £1.1 billion turnover.
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