But then we see this wonderfully self-satisfied yet pointless quote from The TaxPayers' Alliance (who they? Ed.), as reported by the BBC: "Every year we hear that councils don't have enough money and need to raise taxes but it seems they have had sufficient excess tax to salt tens of millions of pounds away.
"In short, they should not have stashed this money in the first place and they simply weren't equipped to try to be clever in the markets with it."
"It's an absolute disgrace. If the councils can't get their money back, the people who took these excesses should seriously consider their positions as councillors."
For heaven's sake, Mark Wallace, campaign director at The TaxPayers' Alliance, get a grip. Have you the faintest idea what you would do if you'd just collected tens of millions of pounds from Council Tax payers? Would you pop home with it in bulging brown envelopes and try and stuff it under your mattress, or would you seek professional guidance and try and find a safe, reputable bank in which to deposit the cash pending its use over the coming months on essential local services? With the wonderful benefit of hindsight you have, exactly which banks would you reccommend, and which would you avoid? Come on, you've got all the answers ... haven't you?
