We’ll axe ministerial cars after the election, insist Wales’ Tories
CONSERVATIVES have pledged to scrap the Welsh Government’s fleet of chauffeur-driven cars if the party wins power in May’s Assembly elections.
The party obtained figures showing nearly £1.8m has been spent on the cars since 2011-12.
Running costs – which include maintenance, fuel bills, insurance, breakdown cover and road tax – have climbed from £120,430 in 2011-12 to £189,000 in 2014-15.
Salary and overtime payments for drivers and support staff jumped during this period from £211,988 to £275,635. There are 13 cars in the ministerial pool.
Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies said: “Hardworking Welsh people will be stunned to learn that their taxes are being wasted on a luxury fleet of chauffeur-driven cars for Labour ministers. It’s an appalling waste of money...
“Carwyn Jones and his Labour colleagues have their priorities completely wrong, spending nearly half a million pounds every year on luxury travel, but won’t commit a few million pounds for a Cancer Treatments Fund to end the postcode lottery in access to cancer medicines.”
Shadow Assembly finance minister Nick Ramsay added: “With remarkable hypocrisy Labour Ministers stand up in the Assembly Chamber each week and preach about sustainable public transport, then travel home in their gas-guzzling taxpayerfunded executive cars. You couldn’t make it up, and a Welsh Conservative Government would scrap this appalling waste of taxpayers’ cash.
“We’d treat public money with the respect it deserves and focus on creating jobs and supporting public services; not waste it on chrome trims and tinted windows.”
A Welsh Government source said: “This is astonishing hypocrisy from the Tories, given that David Cameron just bought himself and his cabinet chums an aeroplane at a cost to the public of £150m. After a £10m refit the plane will be used to fly the PM around to his increasingly small number of international friends.
“If the Tories are serious about cutting waste, they should start at the top and not bang on about cars that allow Ministers to work on the go.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Ministers are expected to travel across the length and breadth of Wales. They often undertake several engagements in a single day and consideration is always given to the most economical and efficient way of conducting as many engagements as pos- sible, to maximise value for money. During these car journeys, ministers will continue to work, and have access to a range of confidential information, which they could not do on public transport or by other means of travel. Security is also a prime consideration and ministers require reasonable protection while carrying out their public duties – travelling in official cars with trained professional drivers reduces any risk.”
The Welsh Government uses the “pan-Government vehicle purchase contract” to drive down costs and obtain discounts on purchases.
A Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesman said: “The Welsh Liberal Democrats would cut the costs of Welsh Government. Looking to reduce ministerial cars is a start, but it’s about time the Tories started to take themselves a bit more seriously and actually be clear on their spending commitments. If they think that scrapping ministerial cars will fill the gaping holes in their spending commitments, then they’re completely deluded.”