COUNCILS in Hampshire have spent almost £100,000 in the last three years on transport for their mayors and chairmen.
Figures obtained by a watchdog show that East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) spent more than £11,000 on a hire car over the period, while neighbouring Winchester City Council (WCC) spent £12,000 in a single year on mayoral transport.
The data – acquired by the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) through Freedom of Information requests – shows that £93,540.90 was spent by Hampshire councils between April 2015 and March 2018 on transport for mayors and their equivalents. The TPA investigation found that EHDC spent £11,528 on a hired car to transport the authority’s chairman to engagements between January 2015 and June 2018.
Havant Borough Council spent £7,900 while Winchester spent £36,000 on a professional chauffeur company to ferry its ceremonial leader to events.
TPA executive John O’Connell said: “Taxpayers are tired of hearing local authorities say they have no money left when there are still instances of excessive spending.
“Families who struggle to pay their council tax bill will roll their eyes at the thought of their hard-earned money being spent on Bentleys and Jaguars for politicians to attend functions.”
A spokesman for WCC defended the expenditure, saying it was the most cost- effective way to transport the mayor to events.
He said: “The majority of the mayor’s time is spent supporting local community, voluntary and charitable organisations and local businesses that contribute to the well being and social cohesion of the community.
“Over the past three years, the district’s mayoralty has raised more than £95,000 for a range of different causes.
“To support this work, the mayor attends more than 550 engagements each year in a district that spans 250 square miles.”
A spokesman for EHDC said the council allocates £4,500 a year for the use of a car – said to be significantly less than other councils – but the budget is rarely reached.
He added: “The chairman of EHDC is expected to represent the council and the people of East Hampshire at functions across the county and beyond.
“The chairman maintains links with other councils, businesses and organisations, raises money for charity and promotes the district beyond its borders.”
He continued: “Traditionally, the chairman will drive themselves to the majority of these functions but there are occasions when it is necessary to have a car.
“This might be because of poor accessibility to the venue and the security of the chairman, who would be wearing or carrying the chains of office.”