AT a time of financial cut backs and redundancies in the public sector Warrington Council has come under fire from Trade Union bosses who are investigating alleged “unscrupulous spending” on credit cards totalling more than £67,000.
More than £25,000 has been spent on hotel accommodation with a further £28,000 on travel including flights to South Africa and China.
The credit card spending covers a period of three years under the former Lib-Dem Conservative alliance and more recently under Labour control.
Jason Horan Joint Branch Secretary for Unison said:”We have grave concerns over the use of a council credit card and what seem unscrupulous amounts on items that should be purchased through the council’s procurement system. “It raises the question of who has authority to use the card and who monitors its use. We would also ask questions on bar/restaurant bills of £565 in Copenhagen, this just sounds like a jolly boys outing. Unison will be delving in to the use of these credit cards further.”
A spokesperson for the council said:”Using these cards is a cost-effective way of making small or unexpected day-to-day purchases, particularly for low value goods and services at short notice or outside normal working hours.”
Breakdown of spending.
2009-04-29 Bedford Hotel, London Hotel – accommodation for officers attending conference in London. £1596
2009-03-28 BeechLawn Hotel – Accommodation for officers on official visit to Belfast. £710.6
2010-11-01 Charity Receipt – Attendance at an annual conference for Director of Children’s Services £581.63
2010-12-16 Dial_A-Flight – Cost of flights for approved business visit to South Africa for 12 officers involved with South Africa project – local authority and school staff. The cost of this trip is externally funded and the Council has been reimbursed for the costs incurred. £7218
2010-07-30 Dial_A-Flight – Cost of flights for approved business visit to China – delegates included Warrington and Cheshire Local Authority officers and officers from schools and Chester University. Cheshire LA’s, schools and Chester University were invoiced for their share –£18783.3
2010-08-04 Dial_A-Flight – Accommodation costs for 20 delegates on approved business visit to China – delegates included Warrington and Cheshire Local Authority officers and officers from schools and Chester University. Cheshire LA’s, schools and Chester University were invoiced £12464
2011-03-04 Holiday Inn, Johannesburg- Accommodation expenditure for 12 people involved with South Africa Project. Local authority and school staff. The cost of this project is externally funded and the Council has been reimbursed the costs. £3957.48
2010-01-13 Hotel Bellevue, Hilden – Accommodation costs for approved visit to Hilden on 11 Jan 2010 by 10 delegates. Costs were reimbursed through external funding. – £0
2011-01-09 Hotel Bellevue, Hilden – Accommodation and subsistence costs for 3 officers for visit to Hilden in Jan 2009. £610.28
2010-12-24 Howley Quay Motors – Payment of fee to recover two Council operated vehicles involved in a road traffic accident. £515
2008-11-11 Millstream Associates , Aberdeen – Payment to specialist e-Procurement supplier. £693.25
2008-08-20 Palace Hotel, Copenhagen – Accommodation for officers during a trip to Copenhagen to further investigate/complete site visit re waste recycling and energy from waste plant. –£547.21
2009-03-09 PC World – Purchase of IT equipment £592.94
2011-09-08 PC World – ICT products purchased on-line to take advantage of discounted rate – £625.35
2008-08-20 Peder Oxe Restaurant, Copenhagen- Purchase of meal for officers during visit to Copenhagen – £565.02
2010-06-25 Solace -Payment for attendance at Solace conference for Chief Executive held on 12-14 Oct 2010 –£781.38
2011-10-09 St George’s Hotel, Harrogate – Accommodation for 12 officers for attendance at conference plus one evening meal. £1021.35
2009-04-01 Tenable Network Security, Columbia – Purchase of annual professional subscription £876.34
2009-06-29 The Crown Hotel- Hotel accommodation for 3 Members & 3 Officers who attended the LGA conference on 30/06/09 to 3/07/09 in Harrogate £1900
2009-03-27 The Old Manor Hotel – Overnight accommodation for 9 officers – study tour visit to the County Council £655
2011-10-09 The Train Line – Train tickets for 5 officers – attendance at meeting with Partnership for Schools on Readiness to deliver Building Schools for the Future. £796.6
2011-06-08 Thistle Hotel, Marble Arch – Accommodation for officers attending MJ Awards ceremony on 26 June 2008. £2275
2008-06-26 Tom at 101, Warrington – Hospitality expenses for official visitors to Warrington. £904.25
2010-02-16 Viking Direct – Stationery £587.46
2009-07-03 Vosa – Operator – Payment of fee for Vehicle Operators Licence £1095
2010-06-02 West Coast Trains – Purchase of train tickets for officers/members. £1444.2
7 Comments
The use of a corporate debit card is, in itself, not wrong. Indeed many suppliers in the travel sector will now only take card payments, the same is true of internet suppliers and for travel overseas a card deals with currency exchange. The question in this case is not was the use of a card wrong, but were the items of expenditure wrong. A number stand out, 2010-06-25 Solace -Payment for attendance at Solace conference for Chief Executive held on 12-14 Oct 2010 -£781.38. I rather sense that this sort of event is for Chief Executives to network and seek out future employment at the largesse of the taxpayer. In this case I would have thought that such attendance would or should have been approved by the Leader of the Council, whom I assume the Chief Executive reports to. Others of note are trips to South Africa and China, why and what substantive benefit has there been to Warrington? 2008-06-26 Tom at 101, Warrington – Hospitality expenses for official visitors to Warrington. £904.25, again why? Couldn’t the Council have laid on a spread at the Town Hall. I note that Unison have said that they will delve further in to these card payments, which is interesting given that I understand that their time is paid for by Warrington Council, so maybe to avoid both them and Warrington Council wasting yet more taxpayers’ money, a detailed statement showing the annual use of the corporate debit card could be published. Doesn’t the Council have a Committee who could look at debit card payments on an annual basis. Of course the problem with looking at what are relatively small amounts of money is that it becomes a distraction from looking at where large amounts of money are spent.
The Council has it’s own internal audit team of officers but they are hardly likely to hold fellow officers to account, particularly the more senior ones, for obvious reasons. This list of mostly gratuitous shindigs merely highlights the need for far greater control by our elected members over the free-running antics of officers who seem to have developed a misplaced opinion of thei own importance. On the other side of the coin, I am sure there would be similar situations would come to light if the torch was shone on the expediture of Union officials. But that is for rank and file members to resolve. What has been exposed here is about our money and we have every right to ask why and for what “apparently justified” reason it has been spent in this manner.
Perhaps instead of trips to China and the like, a trip around Warrington looking at the potholes would be better value for money. That money should have been spent repairing and eradicating ALL potholes in the borough. You just couldn’t make it up.
Just noticed something: 2011-10-09 The Train Line – Train tickets for 5 officers – attendance at meeting with Partnership for Schools on Readiness to deliver Building Schools for the Future. £796.6
The Government scrapped Building Schools for the Future in JULY 2010. Why would anyone want to attend a meeting to do with something that has been scrapped over a year earlier. Very odd and a bit like throwing good money after bad, easy done I guess when it is not the employees own money.
I think the same point can be made for much of this expenditure. The train tickets are too expensive. The hotels are too expensive. Both clearly the result of poor planning.
And too many people are attending these trips, even those that appear justified. Like you say. Easy to do when its public money.
I’ve stayed at the Bedford Hotel in London (On Southampton Row) and it is a bit tatty to be honest…… not sure how you would spend £1,500.00 there unless it was a big bar bill!!
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