Jackie Doyle-Price is the Member of Parliament for Thurrock
It isn't unusual for the Public Accounts Committee to hear tales of taxpayers money being wasted, but the cavalier way in which senior public servants look after their own is, on occasion, truly shocking.
There appears to be an emerging culture where it is totally acceptable for redundancy to be accompanied by a golden handshake which can be as large as you can negotiate.
Payments in lieu of notice, or PILON as they are known, appear to have become custom and practice to a degree which is unacceptable at a time of pay and expenditure restraint.
Public servants must always recognise that they are using taxpayers money for a purpose voted by Parliament. It isn't there for them to do as they please once they have been given the budget. Furthermore we need to ensure that the systems of governance in place to establish accountability are genuinely challenging the executive and delivering value for money.
Continue reading "Lord Patten - more sinned against than sinning in the BBC Trust debacle" »