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Council paying over the odds for travel tickets
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SHEFFIELD Council is continuing to spend large sums of money on expensive rail fares by failing to book in advance – two years after a pledge to crack down on the problem.
Under the Your Right to Know campaign, The Star can reveal that in some cases more than £200 has been spent on individual trips to London for conferences, which is nearly six times the cheapest £34 return fare if booked in advance.
Some trips were booked at short notice but even then substantial discounts are available if purchasing tickets at least one day in advance.
Savings can also be made by making at least one leg of return journeys at off-peak times, such as heading home from London later in the evening.
The problem was first revealed in 2010 and the old Lib Dem council administration pledged to tackle the issue, which they blamed on booking tickets through an external agency.
But figures released show that £1,603 was spent paying councillors’ train fares to conferences between September and last month – with six trips to London and one trip to Bath costing between £150 and £202.50 each.
Councillors covered the cost of three out of the total 18 conferences where journeys were made by train.
The most expensive journeys were made by Coun Harry Harpham, cabinet member for housing, to a meeting of the Local Government Association, and Coun Ian Auckland, shadow cabinet member for transport, to a conference about the planned high speed rail network. Both cost £202.50.
The figures also show £2,644 was spent by councillors on attending conferences between September and January, plus £521.83 on hotels, £80.82 on car mileage and £67.40 on taxis.
Of the conference fees, more money was spent on opposition Lib Dem councillors – £1,419 – than the £1,225 cost of fees for events attended by ruling Labour councillors.
Events attended discussed issues ranging from planning to sport, enterprise, housing and children’s services.
Lib Dem opposition leader Coun Shaffaq Mohammedsaid: “While members should be able to have the knowledge and information to do their respective jobs, there is no excuse for the local taxpayer being ripped off on purchasing rail tickets.
“The Labour leadership needs to get a grip of the council’s wasteful spending and council officer managers need to explain why they have ignored a clear directive from members about booking tickets in advance.”
Sheffield Council leader Coun Julie Dore said: “I am undertaking an immediate review of spending on rail fares by both councillors and officers to make sure we are paying the cheapest fare – although there are occasions where tickets must be bought at short notice and travel made at peak times.
“No first class travel is allowed.”
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Comments
There are 18 comments to this article
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Commentator
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 09:35 AMIn case anyone hadn't noticed, these are standard prices. It's inevitable that some people have to go on business trips to London and have to pay train fares. This is what they cost.
oh no not again!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:23 PMThere was a tory peer done for fiddling the taxpayer .ok thats the Lords but a fiddlers a fiddler!
1graybags
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 05:50 PM15 Reason .... not MPs in the House of Commons, the onlyones banged up for criminally fiddling expenses were all Labour scum. All the others just milked the system.
Reason
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 04:17 PMHarry Harpham spent the most - why are we not surprised?... and this puffed up arrogant moron says that we should all vote to take 'housing' back into the council to save money (we all know that that argument has been junked already !!) .... by the way cakelady - it's not just the Labourites that are being caught with their mitts in the cookie jar, they are all at it., regardless of the party.
cakelady
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 08:31 PMWhat a bunch of self serving working class Labourites. You get what you vote for. The people of this city never learn and vote them back again and again.
1graybags
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 05:20 PMLocal government inept, inefficient and wasting money ....................... whatever next!!!!!
Woodseats Sammy
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 04:46 PMBest value. Lol.
Ivan Eddake
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 03:35 PMDon't diss Comrade Dore or she'll tell you in no uncertain terms, "Act your age and not your shoe size." as she did on Radio Sheffield last week. What a nightmare of a council leader she is.
kayte
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 02:01 PMSo that's why they can't afford to spend all the money I pay on emptying my bin every week!
Archangel
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 01:03 PMI am outraged, this is stealing bread from the mouths of unwashed benefit claimants in free social housing, this money could have bought a few 52" tv's for these people to watch Jeremy Kyle on. Shame on you Comrade Dore.
Old Man of the Sea
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 12:13 PMIt's time we started stringing a few politicians up from the lamp posts pour encourager les autres.
Wessex spanner monkey
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 11:55 AMThe fact that the Council is still wasting our money after an earlier pledge was broken doesn't surprise me. It has always been so, and despite Comrade Dore's intervention it will always be so. The bigger issue here in my opinion is the illogical national rail pricing system, where the rail companies charge what they like (far too much usually), when they like. Where a return ticket costs more than two single tickets, where turning up at the station to buy a ticket for a two hour journey costs more than a week’s wages (and you have to stand). When mass transport systems cost more than making the journey in a private car, you know you're being robbed.
seenitall
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 10:57 AMJulie and her Gnomes believe the Council is theirs by right and they treat their expenses as such!
ISeeEverything
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 10:23 AMNever mind paying top dollar for train fares, why are we still sending officers and councillors to conferences? The message still isn't getting through. There isn't any money!!!
Old Man of the Sea
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 10:23 AMAll councillors and other politicians know there is nothing easier, or more satisfying, than spending other people's money.
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