Councillor's wife spent £7k on limo trips

Published on Saturday 13 June 2009 11:20

A COUNCILLOR'S demand for an expenses probe at Midlothian Council has backfired after it was revealed that his wife's luxury limo trips had cost more than £7,000.

Councillor Colin Beattie, the SNP's national treasurer, called for all councillors' expenses claims to be published.

Mr Beattie's call prompted the council's Labour group to calculate the previous two years' claims, which revealed his wife Lisa's travel bill.

The 56-year-old had reportedly clocked up almost 4,500 miles in the authority's chauffeur-driven limousine, despite having her own Porsche and living near the council's Dalkeith headquarters.

The bill for 173 trips in the car was 7,417. She mainly used the car to visit Saughton Prison as a council appointee to the Edinburgh Prison Visiting Committee, stating she could not take her own car for "security reasons".

Council leader Derek Milligan said: "This will be hard to understand for people."