THE Government quango blamed for axing weekly dustbin collections was hit by a “fat cats” row last night – as it emerged that its boss earned more than Tony Blair.
Jennie Price was paid a staggering £212,000 last year as chief executive of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) – the body which advised councils to introduce fortnightly collections in the winter to avoid a public backlash over smells.
The quango is also behind plans for microchips on dustbins, fines for breaking rubbish quotas and the idea that householders should sort their refuse into five separate bins.
Ms Price’s bumper pay deal – comfortably above the £187,611 earned by the Prime Minister – was revealed by a Sunday Express investigation, and it immediately sparked an angry reaction.
Blair Gibbs, campaign director for the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “It is no surprise that behind all this controversy there are a lot of people getting rich at our expense.
“The whole waste management industry is worth a fortune and now another bloated outpost of central government is moving in to cream off some of the profits for itself.
“Big pay rises to reward people who support incompetent policies like fortnightly collections show us where their loyalties lie. These new bin tsars should be named and shamed.”
And Shadow Environment Minister Greg Barker said: “It is extraordinary the chief executive is earning more than Tony Blair. We are entitled to ask what we are getting in return.
“WRAP has done some valuable work but it is not enough. We need an organisation that is more accountable and has more teeth, rather than just having more consultants, more bureaucracy and more short-term initiatives.”
Ms Price’s pay deal, which rose by 21 per cent last year, included bonuses and perks worth £57,000 for helping to drive up recycling rates.
Four other WRAP staff enjoyed six-figure pay deals last year. The quango’s pay bill has soared by an incredible 561 per cent in the last five years.
Former barrister Ms Price, 47, has already sparked controversy by referring to “my leader Gordon Brown” at a House of Commons reception.
Her major green initiatives have included urging shoppers to do “simple things like looking in the fridge, looking in the cupboard, before you go shopping, saying ‘I’ve got a lettuce, that’s fine, I don’t need another one’.”
Last month she landed the coveted top job at Sport England – another quango. Dr Liz Goodwin has taken over her WRAP job on a “basic” £150,000, though she will also be eligible for bonuses worth up to 25 per cent of her salary, together with other perks.
Other WRAP directors proving the old adage “where there’s muck, there’s brass”, included chief finance officer Hugh Etheridge on £133,000, director of waste implementation Philip Ward (£127,000) and director of policy and evaluation Ray Georgeson (£103,000), but currently travelling the world on six months unpaid leave.
Non-executive chairman Vic Cocker earned £35,000 in fees for presiding over six board meetings and other duties. Eight fellow non-executive directors were each paid between £14,000 and £16,000 for attending the meetings. In the last five years WRAP’s wage bill has jumped from £1.3million to more than £8.5million last year.
The organisation played a major role in last week’s Government waste strategy, which could see new “pay-as-you-throw” charges introduced across the country – forcing householders to separate rubbish into five different bins, and leaving many facing increased bills of around £50 a year.
Last week the Government gave its backing to “pay-as-you-throw”. This could see families who refuse to recycle charged more. Almost 70 councils, covering 3.7 million homes, have already installed microchips in wheelie bins to weigh household rubbish – the first step to a charging scheme.
So far Ministers have dismissed claims that scrapping weekly collections leads to health hazards such as an increase in rats and maggots.
WRAP spokesman Gareth Lloyd last night claimed the quango produced value for money and had met its targets to increase recycling and cut waste going to landfill. He said the salary bill had soared to pay for extra staff to cope with the increase in WRAP’s remit since it was set up seven years ago.
What do YOU think? Should overpaid quangos be axed? Comment NOW on Have Your Say.
AT THE AGE OF 81 YEARS OLD ,I REMEMBER WHEN WE ALL HAD COAL FIRES AND EVERYTHING WAS BURNED, EVEN OLD SHOES
CARDBOARD , ETC,ALL THAT WAS IN OUR BINS WAS ASHES , WE USED THESE IN WINTER TO PUT ON THE FROSTY ROADS AND PATHS
IN ACCRINGTON WE HAD A DESTRUCTORS WHERE ALL THE RUBBISH WAS BURNED, THE HEAT PROVIDED STEAM FOR THE ALTERNATORS AT THE LOCAL ELECTRICAL WORKS, THIS PROVIDES THE ELECTRIC FOR ALL THE TOWN ,AND STREET LIGHTING.
MOST RUBBISH COULD BE BURNED IN THIS WAY TO CREATE ENERGY,
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST ,THINK OF THE MONEY SAVED.
AND YOU COULD SACK ALL THE MONEY GRABBERS ,
This is another example of 'Totalitarian Britain' under New Labour. Especially when the head of the advice quango (Price) earns a fortune at tax payers expense, and refers to Brown as "My leader Gordon Brown" she even talks the language!
This 'WRAP' jobsworth outfit, treat the British public in a condescending manner just like the government, advising them to "not buy a lettuce but check their fridge, to see if they need another!"
My only feelings for these type of people are utter contempt and disgust!
Surely, the British people are not surprised at the devious ways that this government keep finding to rip us off!? Are they!? Talk about door mats and lemmings! The rest of the world laugh at the Brits every day of every year! And why is the plaintiff cry!!? Look in the mirror, people!
jUST LIKE THE SPEED CAMERAS,IT'S ALL ABOUT GORGING mCsporran making enough dosh to pay the bone idle gits who want to stay home in bed whilst you suckers go to work,pay tax and keep the bone idle benefits scroungers in their foreign holidays,sky dishes,posh cars
expensive mobile phones and luxury plasma t.v.'S.
wELL THERE IT IS,PAY UP SUCKERS,else someone may have to get out of bed tomorrow and do a day's work.SHUDDER.
I've had problems, like many people do, with other peoples' cats using my garden. With all the current controversy about waste, and particularly the fact that we may soon be paying according to the weight of our rubbish, and the reduction of collections to 2 weekly, does anyone else think it's right that by picking up these animals' waste off our property, we are then expected to pay to dispose of, what is effectively, other peoples' rubbish?
I certainly don't, nor do I think that NON pet owners should even be expected to have the stinking stuff rotting in their bins for ANY length of time, let alone for 2 WEEKS!!!
I would urge EVERYONE who feels strongly about this, to contact their Environmental Health Department at their local council, and lobby them to get something done about this nasty stuff. It seems incredible to me that dog owners are at least supposed to pick up behind their pets - and will be fined if caught Not doing so - but there is no law / legislation, about cats. Their waste is just as toxic and harmfull as dog waste, and yet where I live, the council are not interested in owners who's animals use the road and gutter as a litterbox, nor will the owners who's cats are doing it, pick it up. I was told weeks ago by an Environmental Health Dept officer, that he would get the road cleaned - so far, it has NOT been done. Refuse Collection and Road Cleaning are the two most basic responsibilities / functions of councils, as they affect everyone universally. Both sevices have been drastically reduced, and indeed, we will probably soon be paying for refuse collection.
I hope that others who feel strongly about this will let their councils know.
Video 
THE GREAT DUSTBIN GRAVY TRAIN
28.05.07, 8:40am
Shrink WRAP. Now thats a headline!
• Posted by: mikem • Report Comment
DUST BIN GRAVY TRAIN
27.05.07, 10:56pm
AT THE AGE OF 81 YEARS OLD ,I REMEMBER WHEN WE ALL HAD COAL FIRES AND EVERYTHING WAS BURNED, EVEN OLD SHOES
CARDBOARD , ETC,ALL THAT WAS IN OUR BINS WAS ASHES , WE USED THESE IN WINTER TO PUT ON THE FROSTY ROADS AND PATHS
IN ACCRINGTON WE HAD A DESTRUCTORS WHERE ALL THE RUBBISH WAS BURNED, THE HEAT PROVIDED STEAM FOR THE ALTERNATORS AT THE LOCAL ELECTRICAL WORKS, THIS PROVIDES THE ELECTRIC FOR ALL THE TOWN ,AND STREET LIGHTING.
MOST RUBBISH COULD BE BURNED IN THIS WAY TO CREATE ENERGY,
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST ,THINK OF THE MONEY SAVED.
AND YOU COULD SACK ALL THE MONEY GRABBERS ,
• Posted by: DEZG8MEC • Report Comment
DUSTBIN LAWS BY THE 'TOTALITARIAN STATE'
27.05.07, 10:07pm
This is another example of 'Totalitarian Britain' under New Labour. Especially when the head of the advice quango (Price) earns a fortune at tax payers expense, and refers to Brown as "My leader Gordon Brown" she even talks the language!
This 'WRAP' jobsworth outfit, treat the British public in a condescending manner just like the government, advising them to "not buy a lettuce but check their fridge, to see if they need another!"
My only feelings for these type of people are utter contempt and disgust!
• Posted by: steveg • Report Comment
JOBS FOR THE JOBS-WORTH
27.05.07, 7:17pm
Surely, the British people are not surprised at the devious ways that this government keep finding to rip us off!? Are they!? Talk about door mats and lemmings! The rest of the world laugh at the Brits every day of every year! And why is the plaintiff cry!!? Look in the mirror, people!
• Posted by: peterthepainter • Report Comment
GORGING MCSPORRAN,DEFENDER OF THE BONE IDLE.
27.05.07, 6:49pm
jUST LIKE THE SPEED CAMERAS,IT'S ALL ABOUT GORGING mCsporran making enough dosh to pay the bone idle gits who want to stay home in bed whilst you suckers go to work,pay tax and keep the bone idle benefits scroungers in their foreign holidays,sky dishes,posh cars
expensive mobile phones and luxury plasma t.v.'S.
wELL THERE IT IS,PAY UP SUCKERS,else someone may have to get out of bed tomorrow and do a day's work.SHUDDER.
• Posted by: rozipoz • Report Comment
THE GREAT DUSTBIN GRAVY TRAIN
27.05.07, 3:23pm
I've had problems, like many people do, with other peoples' cats using my garden. With all the current controversy about waste, and particularly the fact that we may soon be paying according to the weight of our rubbish, and the reduction of collections to 2 weekly, does anyone else think it's right that by picking up these animals' waste off our property, we are then expected to pay to dispose of, what is effectively, other peoples' rubbish?
I certainly don't, nor do I think that NON pet owners should even be expected to have the stinking stuff rotting in their bins for ANY length of time, let alone for 2 WEEKS!!!
I would urge EVERYONE who feels strongly about this, to contact their Environmental Health Department at their local council, and lobby them to get something done about this nasty stuff. It seems incredible to me that dog owners are at least supposed to pick up behind their pets - and will be fined if caught Not doing so - but there is no law / legislation, about cats. Their waste is just as toxic and harmfull as dog waste, and yet where I live, the council are not interested in owners who's animals use the road and gutter as a litterbox, nor will the owners who's cats are doing it, pick it up. I was told weeks ago by an Environmental Health Dept officer, that he would get the road cleaned - so far, it has NOT been done. Refuse Collection and Road Cleaning are the two most basic responsibilities / functions of councils, as they affect everyone universally. Both sevices have been drastically reduced, and indeed, we will probably soon be paying for refuse collection.
I hope that others who feel strongly about this will let their councils know.
• Posted by: BoggyDepot • Report Comment
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