Kirklees taxpayer's money goes on hotels, Giants games and entertaining
Jan 3 2011 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
COUNCILLORS billed taxpayers for conferences, away days and travel to the Huddersfield Giants Challenge Cup final.
New figures show the 69 members of Kirklees Council received £1.1m last year in wages and expenses.
Councillors claimed for hotel stays at party conferences and outside facilitators for political away days.
A senior councillor yesterday called for Kirklees to stop paying party conference costs in the light of the public spending squeeze.
The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, outline all payments to councillors from April, 2008, until this November.
They show that Kirklees leader Clr Mehboob Khan billed the taxpayer £154.58 for travel and £8 for subsistence after attending the Challenge Cup final between Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves at Wembley in August, 2009.
The Greenhead Labour man defended the claim yesterday.
“I accepted the invitation from the Rugby Football League in my capacity as leader of the council,” he said.
“The mayor also attended, and I kept my costs down by travelling standard class by train and returning on the same day.”
Clr Khan added: “The final was a great opportunity to promote Huddersfield and attract new investment.”
Clr Julie Stewart-Turner, who was Mayor of Kirklees at the time of the match, has made no claim for attending the final.
The figures show Labour, Liberal Democrats, Conservative and Green councillors claimed for attending their party conferences.
Green leader Clr Andrew Cooper charged the taxpayer £43.10 for travel and £56 for subsistence for his party’s annual meeting in Brighton in September.
The Newsome man said yesterday: “The council pays for travel and the cost of accommodation is split 50/50 between myself and the council, that’s the rule at the moment.”
But Clr Cooper believes the regulations should be tightened given that Kirklees is in the middle of cost-cutting programme which will lead to 1,700 job losses.
“I think we should cancel funding for party conferences,” he said.
“There are going to be some difficult decisions ahead, but scrapping this funding is quite a straightforward one.”
In September, 2009, six Lib Dem councillors claimed a total of £1,189 after attending their party conference in Bournemouth.
Lib Dem leader Clr Kath Pinnock defended the spending yesterday.
“National party conferences are a cost-effective way of getting policy information,” she said.
“Conferences are opportunities for politicians to meet policy-makers.
