INVESTIGATION
SHAMELESS council officials spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ cash on frivolous items during a £105million credit card splurge, an investigation by The Mail on Sunday can reveal today.
Fancy dress wigs, hand-painted bongos and even clothes from a lingerie website are among the astonishing items bought using Government Procurement Cards, which are supposed to enable key members of staff to purchase essential items.
Using Freedom of Information requests to hundreds of councils we uncovered how suncream for traffic wardens, a robot that speaks Dutch and hat cleaning services were part of a catalogue of waste.
The spending has been condemned as ‘unforgivable’ and comes as councils inflict savage cuts on public services. One authority spent more than £2,000 on a night out at a night club, while another splurged more than £6,300 on fast food.
Last night Conservative MP Nigel Mills, a member of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said: ‘Many local councils are forever complaining that they don’t have enough money – and I think their council tax payers will be very angry to hear money has been lavished on unnecessary expenditure.’
Birmingham City Council recently insisted it was being forced to slash £500,000 from arts funding. Despite this, its European and International Team has been using procurement cards to spend freely on costly trips abroad. In September last year a delegation went to Hong Kong, clocking up £1,498 on their cards – not including travel or accommodation.
One night they enjoyed a meal at the Motorino pizzeria in the Soho district of Hong Kong – which tempts customers with a Brussels Sprout pizza for £17 – and ran up substantial bills at the five star Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Angela Probert, Birmingham’s strategic director for change and support, defended the trip saying: ‘Birmingham has an international profile, so councillors and officers are sometimes required to travel overseas to build on the city’s global reputation.’
Another Midlands local authority, Warwickshire, is facing budget cuts totalling £67million. But in November last year staff blew £1,415 on ‘Halloween supplies’ for schools which included spooky lollies and an ‘animatronic cocooned man’. It also spent £50 on wigs – believed to be for school performances.
Slough Council procurement cards were used to purchase £75 of items from designer lingerie website Figleaves for dance academy students – as well as £54 on hat cleaning and shoe repairs.
Aylesbury Vale Council rewarded its longest-serving staff with £250 of jewellery from Italian jewellers Biagio, and £123.75 from Hester Clarke, which sells ‘beautiful statement pieces’.
West Lindsey Council treated a departing colleague with over £200 of John Lewis vouchers, with another receiving an £88 piece of jewellery from Barnes. Alan Robinson, strategic lead for democracy and business support said: ‘West Lindsey District Council values the contribution of
‘Not taking the task of cutting waste seriously’
all its employees and wishes to reward them by issuing them with a gift on their retirement.’
Lambeth Council spent £2,192 at the trendy Electric Social nightclub. A spokesman said: ‘The cards are only authorised for use on legitimate spending related to council business, which includes limited catering for events.’
Mid-Sussex Council coughed up £26 on suncream for traffic officers to ‘ensure cars park safely and traffic flows smoothly’. The council chairman took his wife to enjoy ‘An Evening with Jack Higgins’ – a famous thriller writer holding an event in aid of the ABF The Soldiers’ Charity – and he claimed back the £51 cost of the tickets. Portsmouth Council spent £6,381 on fast food at McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway, and £2,105 at bakeries. It admitted the treats from Greggs are regularly doled out at training sessions, their canteens, and at meetings with youngsters in their care.
Northumberland splurged £103 on an educational ‘Ohbot’ robot that can speak Dutch, sing songs, and change its eye colour. Ceredigion Council bought 17 hand-painted bongo drums made from goatskin for a single secondary school. John O’Connell, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance described our findings as ‘unforgiveable’. He said: ‘This reinforces the idea that many councils have not taken the task of cutting out waste seriously enough while being too quick to slash frontline services.’