Badly spent money

I'm a grouch, I admit this.

But have a look at this article here...

During the past 12 months, 40 councils have hired more than 140 experts, including healthy lifestyle tutors, wellbeing officers and community walks co-ordinators, at an annual cost to the taxpayer of almost £3m.

Public bodies hiring people for the public isn't a bad thing - if they're hired for the right reason...for the right role.

Now, to me (from the limited amount of data here) these job titles would appear to indicate non-jobs. All doing things that (to be honest) should not be done by the state.

Community walks co-ordinator? Who are you co-ordinating? How much co-ordination does it take to follow a map??

And the cost - 3 million, 140 people...tell you what I'd do. Fire the lot. Hire 140 youth workers.

What was that? You're shocked that I'd spend the money, not cut taxes?

Well, look at it like this. If each youth worker persuades or influences one teenager who's going off the rails. Just one... how much crime can one such young person cause and do?

A year in prison costs far, far more then the cost of hiring the youth worker for a year. Imagine... the youth worker helps 2 trouble makers to get a job, finish their education...

They pay for themselves, in the long term. I could argue they'd make us a long term, real world saving.

What's the pay back on a well-being officer?