ALMOST £100,000 of taxpayers’ cash has been spent by Hampshire councils in the past three years on transport for their mayors.
In total, £93,540.90 was dished out across the county between April 2015 and March 2018 on transport for mayors, lord mayors, lord provosts and their equivalents.
New Forest District Council spent £12,530.30 on taxis.
It comes as part of an investigation by the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA), which sent out Freedom of Information requests to authorities across the country.
A spokesperson for New Forest District Council said: “The council’s view is that it is more economical, and flexible, to hire a private hire vehicle for use by the chairman when attending civic events in their role to represent and promote NFDC, rather than purchasing and maintaining a vehicle.
“The chairman uses his/her own vehicle for most of the events attended. The hired vehicle is used for some out-of-area events that are held in the evenings.
“If a dedicated vehicle was purchased, the council would, in addition to the purchase price, incur additional costs on items such as a driver, insurance, vehicle tax, fuel, and depreciation.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel