Over £1m claimed for daily commute by Cardiff Council staff

Data obtained by the Welsh Conservatives has revealed the substantial sums reimbursed to Cardiff Council Officers for their commutes.

A total of £1,095,587.50 was reimbursed to Council Officers for their everyday travel expenditure during 2015/16.

Welsh Conservatives have called into question this taxpayer funded subsidy and are pledging to reduce waste by local authorities ahead of local elections on May 4th.  

The revelations come just days after the Taxpayers’ Alliance revealed the rising number of people in Welsh local governments earning over £100,000.

Cardiff City Council now boasts the most employees receiving over £100,000 in Wales.

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives and South Wales Central AM, Andrew RT Davies, said:

“Cardiff residents have seen council tax spiralling in recent years, and many will question whether these sums represent value for money.

“It’s as though council leaders are on a different planet to the ordinary hardworking people they represent.

“In how many other walks of life are staff given a free ride when it comes to the daily commute?

“Clearly staff shouldn’t be out of pocket for travel undertaken as a result of their jobs – but there aren’t too many people fortunate enough to have the journey to their everyday place of work paid for.”

Shadow Local Government Secretary, Janet Finch-Saunders, said:

“Welsh Conservatives believe in low taxes and efficient, high quality public services.

“We would root out examples of waste such as this and ensure that local residents are no longer being asked to pay more for less in terms of public services.

“We also want to give communities a greater say in how their money is spent, and we would increase transparency at county halls across Wales by forcing them to publish details of council spending online.”