The amount Reading council spends on mayoral events and services has been revealed, with tens of thousands of pounds being spent each year.
Recently, a freedom of information (FOI) request revealed that Reading Borough Council spent a total of £81,401.33 on travel expenses in 2024/25.
That included £77,125.68 for council staff, £2,420.13 for travel for the mayor, and £1,855.52 on councillor services.
The FOI prompted councillor Raj Singh, the leader of the Conservative group on the council, to ask for itemised spending on services for the mayor at a council meeting.
Cllr Singh (Conservative, Kentwood) said: “In light of the recent article revealing that the council spent over £81,000 on travel expenses in 2024/25 — including £2,420.13 by the mayor — and with the Tax Payers’ Alliance calling this level of spending ‘extraordinary’, will the council publish a full, itemised breakdown of all costs linked to the mayor and civic office over the last three financial years?”
This prompted the council’s Labour administration to publish the figures.
The amount Reading council spends on mayoral events and services has been revealed, with tens of thousands of pounds being spent each year.
Recently, a freedom of information (FOI) request revealed that Reading Borough Council spent a total of £81,401.33 on travel expenses in 2024/25.
That included £77,125.68 for council staff, £2,420.13 for travel for the mayor, and £1,855.52 on councillor services.
The FOI prompted councillor Raj Singh, the leader of the Conservative group on the council, to ask for itemised spending on services for the mayor at a council meeting.
Cllr Singh (Conservative, Kentwood) said: “In light of the recent article revealing that the council spent over £81,000 on travel expenses in 2024/25 — including £2,420.13 by the mayor — and with the Tax Payers’ Alliance calling this level of spending ‘extraordinary’, will the council publish a full, itemised breakdown of all costs linked to the mayor and civic office over the last three financial years?”
This prompted the council’s Labour administration to publish the figures.
The largest spend was £18,604.40 on car services in 2022-23, when cllr Rachel Eden (Labour, Whitley) was mayor.
One of the biggest spends on a single event related to cllr Glenn Dennis (Labour, Kentwood), the mayor for 2024-25, attending a Euros 2024 football match at the Düsseldorf Arena in Germany.
He watched Ukraine beat Romania 2-1 at the invitation of Dr Stephan Keller, the Lord Mayor of Reading’s twinned town of Düsseldorf.
The vast majority of events the mayor attends are in the town itself.
Examples of engagements cllr Dennis attended included Black History Month events, the Pride of Reading awards and the naming of the Windrush Roundabout.
Ellie Emberson, lead councillor for corporate services and resources, did not agree that the £77,125.68 spent on council staff travel was ‘extraordinary’.
Her answer demonstrated that the council has spent money on major events in the last three years, with 2022 marking the 75th anniversary of the twinning relationship with Düsseldorf, which involved an official visit from Dr Kellar.
There were also the two civic memorial services for the passing of Deputy Mayoress Collette Dennis in 2023 and former Mayor Bet Tickner in 2024.
Explaining the reason for the large spend on car transport, cllr Emberson (Labour, Coley) said: “In 2023, a decision was taken to discontinue the Mayoral car service and instead utilise local taxi transportation.
“This change has had a significant and visible impact on transport costs over the three-year period.”
Cllr Emberson initially rejected a request for mayoral services expenditure, suggesting cllr Singh should read the council’s annual budget properly.
Retorting, he said: “We do read our papers, and some of us read them critically.
“The issue is not whether the mayoral budget is included in the budget book, but the actual expenditure is presented across multiple headings.”
He then asked for a simple annual summary of actual expenditures.
Cllr Emberson conceded to itemised mayoral spending, but wanted to make absolutely clear that the £77,000 on travel expenses in 2024/25 was for all council staff, which includes social workers and employees in the education sector at maintained schools.
She said: “It’s quite right that travel for social workers is paid for.”
On itemised mayoral spending, cllr Emberson added: “That is something that can be made publicly available.
“It’s important that people see the breakdown, and I’m sure the mayoral team will have no issue in preparing that little table.”
The figures were revealed at a policy committee meeting on December 17.
