Recent Bonfires 46 - Special Festive Edition

A whole lotta nibblin' going on

In the news this festive season:

Another £150,000 on council nibbles- "Lisa Jarvis used the Freedom of Information Act to find out exactly how much money was being spent on catering at Bexley council. The records revealed that more than £150,000 of council taxpayers' money had been spent on providing food at all council-related meetings from 2005 to 2006. Taxpayers reacted with shock and disgust at the news and suggested ways their money could be better spent." (Bexley Times 27.12.06)

£20m on duff speed cameras- "A massive flaw in a new generation of speed cameras means motorists can avoid fines and points on their licence simply by changing lanes... The cameras were designed to catch motorists who simply slow down in front of a camera, and then drive above the speed limit until they reach the next one. But, under Home Office rules governing the camera equipment, prosecutions are only valid if a driver is filmed in the same lane at the start and finish of each section by a linked pair of cameras... That means a three-lane motorway would require three separate sets of cameras - one for each lane. If drivers leave the speed-camera zone via a different lane to the one they entered in, they cannot normally be prosecuted... Sets of the cameras have been installed at 27 sites around the UK at a cost of between £180,000 and £1.5 million per site." (This is London 15.10.06- missed first time round; htp David Blackie)

Cost of new Scottish laws overshoots by £500m- "THE true cost of laws passed by the Scottish Parliament since devolution is more than £500m higher than ministers have admitted and is growing by almost £200m a year. Recently-released figures show the 100 acts introduced at Holyrood since 1999 have cost the nation around £570m more than the official estimate.... The figures show that in 2005-6 alone, the true cost of Scottish Parliament laws was almost £982m, around £177m more than ministers had estimated." (Scotland on Sunday 24.12.06)

Total for season- £521,150,000