£21,000 spent on council travel

BIRMINGHAM City Council spent over £21,000 on overseas travel between January 1 and March 31, 2022.

A total of six visits to Pakistan, France, the UAE, Italy and Belgium incurred the costs, with almost £10,000 spent on flights alone.

Nothing was incurred during the same period between 2020 and 2021, coinciding with Covid-19 lockdowns, while the previous year saw £30,000 spent.

The most expensive trip of this financial year was a visit by Deputy Leader of the Council Cllr Brigid Jones and Council Chief Executive Deborah Cadman, along with two council officers, to the MIPIM real estate conference in Cannes.

The trip took place from March 15 and March 18, 2022, and cost almost £10,000 with flights and accommodation.

MIPIM Cannes is one of the world’s leading property events that includes exhibitions and networking sessions. Birmingham delegates were there to ‘engage with international developers’ and to ‘promote investment opportunities’.

A council spokesperson said: “We always seek to ensure the best value possible when organising travel for members and officers. In the example cited, economy class flights were used and prices do fluctuate depending on seasonal demand, which can be linked to events taking place in the destination area.”

A further £9,800 was spent on a visit by the now ousted Lord Mayor of Birmingham Muhammad Afzal, the Lady Mayoress, and one officer to Islamabad, Lahore and Mirpur in Pakistan between February 24 and March 4, 2022.

The purpose of the trip was for the Lord Mayor to attend the inauguration of the Pakistan chapter of the Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce and to promote trade opportunities.