Revealed: Cost to taxpayers for council flights

WELSH councils spent almost £300,000 on flights to Europe and other destinations across the world, according to the new figures.

Cardiff council was responsible for more than half of the expenditure, while other councils spent no money on flights during the period covered.

The statistics were published following a Freedom of Information request by the TaxPayers’ Alliance for the amount of money spent by each local authority in Wales, England and Scotland on flights since 2015.

The council in Wales which had spent the most on flights during this period was Cardiff council which spent £173,974.52, which included 426 flights to Europe and nine flights to other parts of the world.

Cardiff even splashed out for some of its staff to travel business class or premium economy.

The council which spent the least amount of money on flights was Rhondda Cynon Taf council which purchased no flights during this period.

Speaking about the figures, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance John O’Connell said: “Welsh taxpayers will rightly bristle to discover that hundreds of pounds of their money has been spent sending local government officials around the world. “Wales has already struggled under large council tax hikes in recent years, and councils’ spending splurges on business class fights are the last thing residents need to be paying for.” The total spent on flights by councils across Britain was at least £6.8m, with each local authority spending £29,152 on average. A Cardiff council spokesperson said: “It’s important to note that the figure quoted by Taxpayers’ Alliance includes flights for school trips abroad which the council pays for and then claims back. This accounts for almost three quarters of the amount – around £127,000. “It’s also worth noting that Cardiff is the capital city of Wales and the economic driver for the south-east Wales region.

“Cardiff council plays a key role in attracting inward investors to bring jobs here. We also have a key role in bringing major events to the city like the Uefa Champions League final and the Volvo Ocean Race.

“Officers tasked with boosting the economy and delivering major events may be required to attend meetings away from Cardiff.

“In many instances flying can be a cheaper option than travelling by rail or other methods.

“The council is committed to getting value for money and flights are only considered when they are necessary or a cheaper alternative is unavailable.”