A formal review has been confirmed into the travel expenses of Nottinghamshire county councillors after two of them defended claiming thousands. One member of the authority claimed around £4,800 last year, whilst another claimed around £3,400.
The figures were contained in a recently published list of the expenses and allowances of Nottinghamshire county councillors. Overall, expenses claims for the 2022/23 year included £35,206.42 made across the council's 35 Conservative members. There was £7,281.10 claimed by Labour councillors and £1,189.70 by the Independent Alliance.
But the amounts claimed by Conservative councillors Tracey Taylor and Boyd Elliot led independent councillors to call for a review, which has now been confirmed. In a meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council's governance and ethics committee on June 14, the group confirmed a report would be prepared on the subject of travel expenses in time for September 6.
Are you worried about the number of empty shops in Nottingham city centre? Let us know here.
Councillor Philip Owen, who chairs the committee, said: "[The report is] going to set out the parameters of the current scheme, and to see whether those parameters are still applicable. Possibly to look at other ways in which business can be conducted without the necessity to travel, because we are in a changing situation and the pandemic has highlighted that."
Councillor Taylor previously defended her expenses claims by pointing to her cabinet role and the fact that she lives in the northernmost part of the county, meaning she has a long journey to County Hall. Councillor Elliot previously said many of his expense claims related to his work with outside bodies and charities.
Speaking after the June 14 meeting, Councillor Francis Purdue-Horan said: "We are not querying legitimate claims – quite the opposite. We are awaiting detail however over what format this review will take.
"We have the situation that some councillors are claiming way and above what others do. One could have driven to the moon and back for each of the last two years and other claims need investigation.
"Any councillor found to have made inappropriate claims not related to their work as a County Councillor should be forced to pay them back at the very least." But Councillor Owen added: "I would also point out that whenever travelling expenses are set down, there is always comment from someone about the level of travelling expenses.
"We have to bear in mind that we are a county that is 50 miles from top to bottom, so if you live at the top, it's a long way down here to attend meetings. You are perfectly able, and it's legitimate, to claim travelling expenses for that work."
