Wolverhampton council spent £130k on awards ceremonies

Between 2015 and 2018 the city council spent £128,548 on ceremonies for its staff, the seventh highest spend of any council across the country.

For comparison Walsall Council was the next biggest spender in the West Midlands with £51,000, while Birmingham Council spent nearly £26,000 and Dudley Council £15,800. Sandwell Council did not provide its figures.

The TaxPayers' Alliance, which uncovered the figures through a series of Freedom of Information requests, has said council tax payers will be left "disappointed" by the high spend.

A number of authorities across the country, such as Cannock Chase and Lichfield district councils, gained sponsorship for their awards ceremonies and did not spend a single penny of taxpayers' money.

Elsewhere Staffordshire County Council spent £46,900 while Stafford Borough Council spent £2,900. The average spend on awards ceremony across the country over the three years is £18,000.

Wolverhampton Council said its awards spend would be "much lower" if the figures did not include the £150 gift vouchers it hands out to staff to mark 25 years service.

But in order to bring its spend down in line with the national average, the council would have had to have handed out more than 730 gift cards over the three-year period – meaning nearly 250 staff a year are celebrating 25 years service with the council. Spokesman Tim Clark declined to say how many members of staff had actually celebrated the 25-year milestone between 2015 and 2018.

Councillor Roger Lawrence, the leader of the authority, said: "We have been totally transparent in the information we provided to the TaxPayers' Alliance and included the £150 gift voucher an employee receives to reward 25 years service. They would receive this regardless of whether it was given to them at an awards ceremony.

"Without this element, our overall cost for ceremonies would be much lower. Our staff have carried the burden of austerity through staffing reductions, depressed pay rises and changes to terms and conditions – so we are proud to recognise the contribution of standout employees and recognise long service. The impact of these events and awards on staff morale at a time of continued uncertainty and insecurity is immeasurable.

"We have also spent a relatively small amount on awards ceremonies to reward foster carers for the amazing work they do which saves taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

John O'Connell, the chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Families in the UK who work hard to pay for their council tax will be disappointed to discover that so many local authorities are still spending money on unnecessary extravagances.

"There's nothing wrong with congratulating staff who work hard or celebrating local businesses, but councils should prioritise the essential services that they are paid to provide."