TOWN hall tea drinkers dunked more than £14,000 of tax-payers' cash on break-time biscuits and refreshments last year.

The Examiner can reveal that councillors and guests get through more than £1,000 of coffee and biscuits a month at council meetings.

Custard cream-loving councillors, who get between £11,000 and £30,000 a year in expenses, munched their way through thousands of sweet treats during meetings and committees across Kirklees.

And rather than shop-bought brands the high-powered politicians are supplied with the traditional Grandma Wild brand from Keighley.

Neighbouring Wakefield Council's tea and biscuits bill was only £3,700 - a quarter of that of Kirklees.

Kirklees Tory group leader Clr Robert Light said he wanted the situation reviewed.

He added: "I don't think anyone would disagree that we should provide a cup of coffee or tea for councillors during long meetings, but this is another matter.

"I think it could be done much cheaper. What about Fox's Biscuits in Batley?"

Council leader Clr Kath Pinnock said people who attended council meetings - including members of the public - should have drinks available.

She added: "I'm interested in making sure that everything is done as cost- efficiently as possible.

"I will be investigating how much we spend on refreshments. If it's not the most cost-effective way of doing things we will do something."

But the Cleckheaton Lib-Dem councillor warned that biscuits could be off the agenda soon. She said: "The biscuits currently provided don't sit very well with our drive to be aware of healthy eating."

A Kirklees spokesman said: "The figure quoted for refreshments covers many hundreds of meetings attended by many hundreds of people over the year and represents a couple of flasks of tea and coffee per meeting.

"Meetings in Huddersfield Town Hall are catered for in-house. Those elsewhere are covered by two nominated suppliers. It is not put out to tender."

£14,000 would pay for ...

* A year's wage for a school classroom assistant.

* 28 new computers for local schools.

* More than 1,000 books for Kirklees libraries

* A care assistant at a Huddersfield nursing home.