Shame of NHS expense claims

FIVE YEARS after MPs were humiliated by the full force of the Parliamentary expenses scandal and there are still well-remunerated bosses across the public sector who still think that Britain has money to burn.

It does not. Like MPs, these officials – who are already earning more than the Prime Minister – should be held to account and, thankfully, the newly-appointed NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens concurs. After nine top officials at the Leeds-based organisation spent nearly £200,000 last year on first class travel, hotels and lavish meals, he has ordered colleagues to “think like a patient and act like a taxpayer”.

In banning expense claims for first class fares – one director reportedly spent an absurd £313 on a train fare from Leeds to London – and ordering his colleagues to use public transport rather than taxis as a matter of urgency and probity, it begs the question why such a benevolent system was tolerated for so long when the NHS is in such financial turmoil.

Regrettably, NHS England is not the only culprit – there are many other examples of the trust of taxpayers being abused because the officials concerned are unable to grasp the fact that they’re spending the public’s money, and that this does entail certain responsibilities.

However the rules proposed by Mr Stevens should not prevent the officials concerned from performing their remit – while ensuring that even more money is spent on the care of patients. As most MPs have shown in the post-expenses period, they are more than capable of fulfilling their duties without taking their constituents for a ride.

Now the rest of the public sector needs to fall into line and exercise the “highest standards of transparency, governance and behaviour” demanded by Mr Stevens – wise words that will be a breath of fresh air if implemented in full.

The greater good

Peace must trump intimidation

THERE is absolutely no place in a civilised society for the campaign of intimidation now being orchestrated by members of the far-right Britain First group – whether it be handing out anti-Islam leaflets in West Yorkshire mosques or a 10-strong gang turning up uninvited at the home of Khadim Hussain, the respected Lord Mayor of Bradford, and terrifying his wife and daughters.

If these extremists believe that they have a contribution to make to society, and this is a very doubtful proposition judging by their irrational language, they should be contesting next week’s European and local elections – as others are doing. If people acting in the group’s name have behaved provocatively, the police should not hesitate to act.

After all, Coun Hussain has done more than most to raise awareness about child sexual exploitation, one of the supposed grievances of these extremists, and has worked tirelessly to bring the perpetrators of such misery to justice, both as a community campaigner and also as a much-respected magistrate.

Yet it is also a measure of the councillor’s contribution to society – he has lived in Keighley for more than 40 years – that he became Lord Mayor of Bradford. This does not happen overnight.

A ceremonial role, it is a fitting reward for those individuals who have made a lasting contribution and represented people of all faiths conscientiously. That is why the aggression said to have been shown towards Coun Hussain’s family is so disturbing. Unless it is eradicated, public-spirited people will be even more reluctant to come forward to help build a better Bradford for the greater good of all.

Nurturing growth

Childcare and jobs in rural areas

FAIR play to those taking part in a scheme to set up a network of mentors to nurture SMEs in rural areas. An important growth industry, Yorkshire’s countryside does need these champions if there are to be sufficient new jobs to support the county’s rural heartlands.

Perhaps the individuals concerned can also pool their expertise and see if they can provide affordable childcare so rural parents do not have to pay £600 a year more than their urban counterparts?

This differential is attributed, in part, to basic supply and demand – there are simply fewer nurseries in rural locations.

Ironically, it comes as villages across Yorkshire seek innovative new ways to save those community assets threatened with closure. Could they be turned into nurseries that are affordable for all? It’s an opportunity waiting to be seized – even more so if the expectation is that countryside communities start to employ many more people in the future.