A champagne jolly on the Riviera for officials pushing up council tax bills
COUNCILS spent tens of thousands of pounds sending delegates to an alcohol-soaked property jamboree on the French Riviera.
Dozens of town hall officials, including those from some of Britain’s most deprived boroughs, spent three days in the sunshine at the annual Mipim conference in Cannes.
It comes as householders across the country are receiving council tax bills showing the steepest rises for 14 years, which are being blamed on Government cuts.
Some councils were sponsored to attend, but at least nine used public money to send officials – prompting accusations that they were enjoying a ‘taxpayer-funded jolly’.
The real number could be much higher as 34 bodies failed respond to the Daily Mail’s requests for information.
One MP called for an inquiry, saying it ‘beggared belief’ that money was spent sending councillors and staff to ‘schmooze with the property developing elite’ rather than going on essential services.
The Department for International Trade also sent delegates but a spokesman refused to say if it was a taxpayer-funded trip.
Mipim is the world’s largest property conference, where leaders of the real estate sector including lawyers, agents, bankers and landlords network on a sea of champagne.
Labour-run Croydon council spent £14,488 to send chief executive Jo Negrini and two officials to this week’s event, including flights, accommodation and passes.
They manned a beachfront stall in a large area alongside other boroughs dedicated to luring investment to London. Free alcohol, including wine and beers, was served by waiters at the London section of the conference and there was free bar from midday.
Croydon Council recently announced council tax rises of 5 per cent, blaming the increase on Government cuts.
Shropshire Council confirmed they spent almost £20,000 of public money taking two delegates to the event, which included flights, hotels and ‘promotional films and marketing material’.
Southampton City Council spent £4,420 sending two senior staff. The Labour council is raising council tax by almost 6 per cent.
Conservative-held Solihull in the West Midlands sent its leader and deputy leader at a cost of £9,000 to the public purse. The trip comes after Solihull announced a 3.9 per cent council tax rise from April, blaming adult social care costs and other pressures.
Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire used £850 of taxpayers’ money to send a council officer, plus unspecified accommodation costs.
Luton Council paid for three attendees with public money, and Leicestershire County Council and Newcastle City Council also said that council staff trips were part-funded from taxpayers’ cash.
Lib Dem MP and local government spokesman Wera Hobhouse said: ‘It beggars belief that some council members are attending this plush property conference. We need a full inquiry into whether council taxpayers’ money has been spent on tickets to this event.
‘We don’t want to tar all councils with the same brush, but with council taxes set to rise considerably this April, it would be difficult to understand why councillors need to schmooze with the property developing elite.’
James Price, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: ‘I’m sure Cannes is lovely at this time of year, but that doesn’t mean so many councillors should be jetting off on a taxpayer-funded jolly.
‘They should have to prove beyond doubt that the cost of the trip was justified in the investment they attracted.’
Many other councils funded their trips through private sponsorship from large investment firms. Other publicly funded bodies such as the Department for International Trade also attended.
All delegates were treated to an unlimited supply of free alcohol and canapes with numerous cocktail parties taking place once the sun set. A welcome reception featured champagne on arrival, stilt walkers and a live band.
Prostitutes were touting for business around the venue, saying they attend every year ‘to make a lot of money’. There is no suggestion that council staff or other British delegates or Mipim endorsed prostitutes.
Shropshire Council said: ‘The event offered the opportunity to take Shropshire to an international audience.’
Southampton Council said: ‘This was paid for by council funds. We do not consider it appropriate to accept sponsorship from developers or private companies that we are in discussions with. We had a number of successful meetings with potential investors from China, Australia, Sweden and UK.’
Solihull Council said it attended to ‘raise the profile of the investment opportunities within the borough on an international stage.’
The Local Government Association, which speaks for councils, said: ‘International property conferences can provide the platform for councils to attract the investment into their local communities.’