Council chief claims 60p on expenses . . . for cycling!

MANY taxpayers would be delighted to hear their council chief cycles to work to save the public purse the cost of petrol.

they may be less impressed, however, to learn that one local authority boss has claimed 20p a mile for the negligible cost of bike trips.

the £190,000-a-year chief executive claimed a petty 60p in cycling expenses, including 40p for a twomile trip to a railway station.

Cambridgeshire County Council boss Mark Lloyd has now backed down after a barrage of criticism, while campaigners questioned why the local authority allowed its workers to claim in the first place.

Ukip’s council group leader Paul Bullen said: ‘if it was me i wouldn’t have claimed it in the first place.’ he added that local government needed ‘ both transparency and scrutiny’ over allowances and expenses.

dia Chakravarty, of the taxPayers’ Alliance, said it was ‘ridiculous’ that council officials could claim for cycle mileage, adding: ‘Given that there’s a cost involved to taxpayers in making these expense claims it is particularly baffling that the council rulemakers ever considered this a good idea.’ Mr Lloyd’s spokesman said he had now paid the money back as a way of ‘acknowledging the financial restraints the council is in as well as the time taken to make these claims.

he added: ‘he stopped making them for short trips some time ago and also reimbursed the council for the small handful of journeys previously included in mileage claims.’

But he insisted Mr Lloyd was within his rights to claim the money.

‘Getting people to use their bikes is

‘Handful of journeys’

a priority for the council which also has a policy of encouraging employees to use the cheapest and most sustainable form of transport while on council business.

‘the chief executive cycles wherever and whenever he can. in the past a small number of these many cycle trips were included in his mileage allowance.

‘these claims are legitimate and in line with the council’s travel policy which applies to all staff just like when they use their own cars.’