25.02.19
Local authorities spend £6.6m on award ceremonies since 2015
Local councils in the UK have spent almost £6.6m on award ceremonies since 2015, with the average cost to the taxpayer per council reaching more than £18,000.
Analysis by the TaxPayers’ Alliance into council spending found that in 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18, local authorities spent £6,594,523 on award ceremonies.
Derbyshire County Council allocated the most amount of funding on the ceremonies within the time period with £218,483 in total – almost 12 times the national average and £14,658 more than all the Welsh councils combined.
The analysis will be sure to frustrate constituents after months of reports that severe shortfalls in government funding for local authorities could put key council services at risk.
A spokesperson for Derbyshire CC said: “These figures relate purely to our staff long service awards and we now spend less than half what has been reported. Derbyshire is one of the biggest council employers in the country with around 12,000 staff.
“Having a loyal and dedicated workforce saves us a lot more money in recruitment than the cost of these awards.”
The Burnley Business awards, the bi-annual awards ceremony organised by Burnley Council, included a champagne reception, live musical performers, and bespoke trophies in 2017. The award ceremony cost an estimated £25,000 of taxpayers’ money.
Northern Irish councils spent over three times more than the average local authorities on award ceremonies, whilst Scottish award ceremony spending was almost 40% higher than the average spent by English councils. However, Welsh councils spent 44% less than the UK average on the events.
Some 65 councils, including South Derbyshire District Council, spent no public funds on award ceremonies – mostly due to successful sponsorship arrangements.
Aberdeen City Council, hosting the ‘Aberdeen Star Awards,’ covered its average spend of £19,487 through supplier rebates, discounts, and contributions of goods and services. Lambeth Council met its budget of over £20,000 for the Lambeth Community Pride Awards 2016 through sponsorship.
Chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance John O’Connell said: “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.
“It's encouraging to see that so many councils were successful in negotiating sponsorship arrangements to pay for some ceremonies, and all local authorities in the UK should seek to do the same."
A spokesperson for the LGA said award ceremonies recognise “the valuable work of volunteers and bringing communities together to celebrate what is positive about where they live.”
“Many of the events listed by the TPA are fully funded by sponsorship. This is not always suitable so councils will have to make individual decisions when weighing up the cost against the benefits.”
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