Provosts still drive around in luxury…and taxpayers pay the cost

SCOTTISH councils spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' pounds last year running high-specification cars for provosts and top officials, it emerged yesterday.

• Several councils, including East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire, run Volkswagen Phaetons. Picture: Complimentary

Figures released under Freedom of Information legislation show local authorities have spent considerable sums of money leasing, maintaining and running luxury Jaguar, Chrysler and Volkswagen cars to ferry about dignitaries.

Taxpayers' groups yesterday said the figures were an "insult for ordinary people".

Of the 26 of Scotland's 32 local authorities that provided figures, four said they did not operate official cars.

However, the 22 other councils said they leased, hired or owned a total of 34 cars at a cost of 213,876.01 to taxpayers last year.

Edinburgh City Council was the biggest spender, paying out 36,599 on two cars, including 30,000 on drivers and 3,460 on fuel.

North Ayrshire Council, the 15th-biggest in Scotland, covering a population of 135,900, said they operated three official cars during the past financial year, including a Daimler Jaguar.

Their vehicles cost council taxpayers 16,551.93 last year - 2,669.23 in fuel and 13,882.70 in lease and fleet costs.

And Stirling Council spent 30,529.55 running a Mercedes E320 and a Renault Espace last year. Costs included 2,539.45 worth of fuel and 14,555.55 on payments to drivers.

Meanwhile, Perth and Kinross Council spent 15,583.43 running just one car last year - a Jaguar XJ Executive with the registration plate ES1.

This sum included 12,340.05 on lease costs, 2,481.51 on fuel and 761.87 on repairs.

Other big spenders included North Lanarkshire Council, which spent 19,016.62 running a Volvo S80 and a Volkswagen Phaeton, and East Ayrshire Council, which spent 17,791.97 running two Phaetons.

The total cash outlay by councils is likely to be much higher than the figures reveal.

Some authorities are refusing to provide the information and others are failing to respond at all to the request.

Glasgow City was one council that failed to respond to a request for the information.

What your council runs…

Aberdeen: One car, Jaguar XJ, total spend not revealed

Aberdeenshire: One car, Skoda – 5406.96

Angus: Did not respond

Argyll & Bute: Did not respond

ClackS: One car, Volvo S80 2.4 TdI - 4860.25

Dumfries & Galloway: No cars

Dundee: Two cars, VW Phaeton 3.0 TDi and Volvo S80 SE LUX, total spend not revealed.

E AYRSHIRE: Two cars, Volkswagen Phaetons – 17,791.97

E DUNBARTONSHIRE: One car, Volkswagen Phaeton 4motion Tdi – 842

E LOTHIAN: one car, make not listed – 5,894.68

E RENFREWSHIRE: Did not respond

Edinburgh: Two cars, makes not listed - 36,599

Falkirk: Two cars, Toyota Previa Tspirit D-4d and Chrysler 300c Crd – 6,977.45

Fife: One car, Volvo S80 – 4,783.31

Glasgow: Did not respond

Highland: No cars

Inverclyde: Two cars, Ford Granada Ghia and Ford Galaxy 1900 TD – 3,547.73

Midlothian: Two cars, Rover 75 and Ford Transit eight-seater – 1,244.74

Moray: No cars

N AYRSHIRE: Three cars, Ford Galaxy MPV, below, Ford C-Max MPV and Daimler Jaguar – 16,551.93

N LANARKSHIRE: Two cars, Volvo S80 and Volkswagen Pheaton – 19,016.62

Orkney: No cars.

Perth & KINROSS: One car, Jaguar XJ Executive – 15,583.43

Renfrewshire: Two cars, Jaguar Saloon and Ford Mondeo Ghia – 5,672

Borders: No cars

Shetland: Did not provide information

S AYRSHIRE: One car, Jaguar XJ – 1,484.13

S LANARKSHIRE: Two cars, makes not listed – 18,131

Stirling: Two cars, Mercedes E320 and Renault Espace – 30,529.55

W DUNBARTONSHIRE: Refused to reveal information

W LOTHIAN: One car, make not listed – 8,375

W ISLES: Two cars, Ford Galaxy and Citroen Picasso – 10,581.26

Total: 34 cars – 213,876.01

However, it emerged earlier this year that its fleet of 11 Volkswagen Phaeton cars and a Volkswagen Caravelle people carrier is to be reduced to five.

Questions had been raised over the use of council vehicles by Lord Provost Bob Winter, after it emerged that 8,324 of the 14,004-worth of journeys made in a single month in the council's fleet of official cars were made by him.

They included hundreds of pounds worth of journeys notched up when he did not even have any engagements in his diary.

Mr Winter admitted that he had used his taxpayer-funded perk to transport him to his holiday home in Bute.

Four local authorities - Highland, Moray, Scottish Borders and Orkney Islands - do not fund cars for dignitaries.

Another four - Angus, Argyll and Bute, East Renfrewshire and Glasgow - did not respond to the FoI request.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, criticised the use of official cars at rate-payers' expense - branding them an "expensive luxury".

He added: "These cars are very expensive and it is time councils got rid of them.

"With people still losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet, taxpayers cannot afford luxuries for council bigwigs. It is an insult for ordinary people to see council officers driving round in swanky cars at our expense."

A spokesman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities said councils were entitled to fund official cars if they felt such a service was necessary.

He added: "The management of official cars is an operational matter for individual councils.

"Scotland's councils are not alone or unusual in providing official cars for official business."