[Politics] 50,000 New Customs Officers

GJN1 · Feb 28, 2020

So Michael Gove says we're going to recruit 50,000 new customs officers in the UK. Now, apart from wondering how the hell we're going to do that, why has nobody even picked up on just how much that's going to cost?

Even on a salary of £17k a year that's £850 million a year, and that doesn't include all the infrastructure etc that will need to be set up.

We really are mental, aren't we?

Thunder Bolt · Feb 28, 2020

GJN1 said:
So Michael Gove says we're going to recruit 50,000 new customs officers in the UK. Now, apart from wondering how the hell we're going to do that, why has nobody even picked up on just how much that's going to cost?

Even on a salary of £17k a year that's £850 million a year, and that doesn't include all the infrastructure etc that will need to be set up.

We really are mental, aren't we?

It's ironic that Maggie Thatcher introduced the Single Market to the EU, so that money on customs officers could be saved. She axed over 6,000 of them.

Titanic · Feb 28, 2020

In the fiscal year ending in 2019, total UK public spending, including central government and local authorities, was £821.0 billion. In the fiscal year ending in 2020, total UK public spending is expected to be £847.6 billion.

So £850m is 0.1% of planned UK public spending. Crazy.

It is the equivalent of one of your £17k workers spending £17 - a beer and a cinema ticket?

Thunder Bolt · Feb 28, 2020

Titanic said:
In the fiscal year ending in 2019, total UK public spending, including central government and local authorities, was £821.0 billion. In the fiscal year ending in 2020, total UK public spending is expected to be £847.6 billion.

So £850m is 0.1% of planned UK public spending. Crazy.

It is the equivalent of one of your £17k workers spending £17 - a beer and a cinema ticket?

How many people earning £17K would be able to afford a beer and a cinema ticket? They would need Working Tax Credits just to pay the bills and groceries.

Dick Swiveller · Feb 28, 2020

GJN1 said:
So Michael Gove says we're going to recruit 50,000 new customs officers in the UK. Now, apart from wondering how the hell we're going to do that, why has nobody even picked up on just how much that's going to cost?

Even on a salary of £17k a year that's £850 million a year, and that doesn't include all the infrastructure etc that will need to be set up.

We really are mental, aren't we?

Is this like the 50000 new nurses where 18000 of them were already nurses? I suppose it is jobs for all of these 8 million economically inactive people we have.

Titanic · Feb 28, 2020

Thunder Bolt said:
How many people earning £17K would be able to afford a beer and a cinema ticket? They would need Working Tax Credits just to pay the bills and groceries.

I was using his numbers... which do seem likely to be a bit short of the mark to me. I would guess it is more likely to cost twice that to employ even a basic Customs Officer.... and that could still be way off. Either way, it's not really a big deal when put up against the scale of public spending.

schmunk · Feb 28, 2020

GJN1 said:
So Michael Gove says we're going to recruit 50,000 new customs officers in the UK. Now, apart from wondering how the hell we're going to do that, why has nobody even picked up on just how much that's going to cost?

Even on a salary of £17k a year that's £850 million a year, and that doesn't include all the infrastructure etc that will need to be set up.

We really are mental, aren't we?

It's OK, if it's anything like the 50,000 new nurses, we're actually already paying 20,000 of them, so it's only an extra 30,000 - but it's still 50,000 NEW CUSTOMS OFFICERS.

GT49er · Feb 28, 2020

Security alert!

Thread trying to escape from the Brexit thread!

A1X · Feb 28, 2020

What are they going to use to do their work? Where is the infrastructure to allow them to do it?

Dick Swiveller · Feb 28, 2020

schmunk said:
It's OK, if it's anything like the 50,000 new nurses, we're actually already paying 20,000 of them, so it's only an extra 30,000 - but it's still 50,000 NEW CUSTOMS OFFICERS.

We are going to score 5 goals tomorrow. 4 of them are from last season but we will still win 5-1 as they are 5 new goals.

JBizzle · Feb 28, 2020

If they're paid £17k, they're also "unskilled" according to the Government, which is a nice welcome from your employers.

schmunk · Feb 28, 2020

Dick Swiveller said:
We are going to score 5 goals tomorrow. 4 of them are from last season but we will still win 5-1 as they are 5 new goals.

That's the spirit! :clap2:

Dick Swiveller · Feb 28, 2020

schmunk said:
That's the spirit!

I let Murray's penalty retire as I am a man of the people, champion of the masses. But those mooching goals from Knocky, Andone, Murray and Balogun have been economically inactive too long.

hans kraay fan club · Feb 28, 2020

GJN1 said:
So Michael Gove says we're going to recruit 50,000 new customs officers in the UK. Now, apart from wondering how the hell we're going to do that, why has nobody even picked up on just how much that's going to cost?

Even on a salary of £17k a year that's £850 million a year, and that doesn't include all the infrastructure etc that will need to be set up.

We really are mental, aren't we?

Starting salary for a Border Force Officer would appear to be £23k. https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/border-force-officer

The cost to the employer of a £23k employee must be at least £30k including NI and pension contributions, etc.

So more like £1.15 billion per year (assuming they all stay permanently on the starting salary, and they all agree to work from home...)

Pinkie Brown · Feb 28, 2020

A1X said:
What are they going to use to do their work? Where is the infrastructure to allow them to do it?

The customs & holding facilities at the channel ports were dismantled in 1993. With positive thinking and a can do attitude, it'll all be up and running come Jan 2021. Gove has his finger on the pulse. The same Gove who yesterday within the space of 10 minutes, said there 'would' and 'wouldn't' be a border in the Irish sea.

worthingseagull123 · Feb 28, 2020

GJN1 said:
So Michael Gove says we're going to recruit 50,000 new customs officers in the UK. Now, apart from wondering how the hell we're going to do that, why has nobody even picked up on just how much that's going to cost?

Even on a salary of £17k a year that's £850 million a year, and that doesn't include all the infrastructure etc that will need to be set up.

We really are mental, aren't we?

Starting salary is more than 17k

Either around 22 or 25 depending on grade

schmunk · Feb 28, 2020

hans kraay fan club said:
Starting salary for a Border Force Officer would appear to be £23k. https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/border-force-officer

The cost to the employer of a £23k employee must be at least £30k including NI and pension contributions, etc.

So more like £1.15 billion per year (assuming they all stay permanently on the starting salary, and they all agree to work from home...)

You're thinking too literally.

Step 1: Hire 50,000 NEW CUSTOMS OFFICERS, all on zero hours contracts.

Step 2: Allocate them each zero hours. Total cost = £0.

Step 3: ???

Step 4: Profit!

Dick Swiveller · Feb 28, 2020

schmunk said:
You're thinking too literally.

Step 1: Hire 50,000 NEW CUSTOMS OFFICERS, all on zero hours contracts.

Step 2: Allocate them each zero hours. Total cost = £0.

Step 3: ???

Step 4: Profit!

And we might leave behind the wine lake and butter mountain but we will get an underpants mountain to replace it. Ya see?

lawros left foot · Feb 28, 2020

As far as I can see, entry level HMRC salary is in the 25 k range, definitely not 17 grand.

GJN1 · Feb 28, 2020

worthingseagull123 said:
Starting salary is more than 17k

Either around 22 or 25 depending on grade

I just assumed they'd be form-filling admin types...

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