The Leader's Budget
 

Each year the party leaders are given a budget of a few thousand pounds for their own group development and I have just received the figures for the past 12 months.

It doesn't seem to be online anywhere but the Conservative figures contain details of such essential spending as £120.91 on newspapers, £320.00 on Christmas cards, £80.77 on a camera and memory card and what appears to be £769.45 on even more buffets for the group's private meetings.

As it stands, I receive just over £280 for my council work and have to pay for all of the above myself, as do the rest of the Labour group. We send Christmas cards every year and quite rightly pay for those ourselves, most of us already have a digital camera and we even have to suffer the hideous expense of buying our own papers. The Council Leader gets in excess of £43,000 per year and yet claims for all this.

Whilst the Labour group have spent around £100 on a training course, the Conservative leader has gone more than £230 over the allocated £3,805 with another two months to go.

So much for good financial management.

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

Maybe the camera was purchased so he could take a photo to use as his avatar on here when he finishes office in May;)

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

Does it say what he's been trained as?

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

Photographers model?
:eek:

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

I can't find any on the Conservative spreadsheet. Plenty of catering, travelling costs and even a £120.00 accommodation bill paid to LCC but nothing I can see in terms of personal development.

The nearest they get to training is £261.98 in rail discount cards.

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

With a bit of luck, Opposition Backbencher :)

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

how can they claim for discount rail cards .. theyre for a year .. mainly cost £26 each .. unless a disabled one .. which is £20 a year .. what happens if they've claimed for one in november its valid for year remember .. and then get voted out in May ... and how many times have they used it for personal travel rather than council business ...

http://www.railcard.co.uk/

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

Does it really matter if it is used for personal use if the purchase of the rail card saved its purchase price on official trips. Often just one trip can save the purchase price. These cards are usually personal and non transferable.

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

if its used for personal use it should be paid for by them .. not the council ...

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

Give em a break Jen, it's difficult living on 43K a year :rolleyes:

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

Maybe he should invest in a pair of wellingtons to compete with the dashing Leader of the Opposition.

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

Actually it's not, I had a wonderful year, but then the bank started sending me letters about an unauthorised overdraft.

(Paying it back is MUCH harder).
:cool:

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

I'm quite sure most people would also be upset if a mayor used his offical car to go dogging in, say.

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

Na he's well versed in that Dave:D

Re: The Leader's Budget
 

See you agree with Call Me Dave then Less:rolleyes: