The ruling Labour Party in Reading has been taken to task over spending thousands on catering and overseas trips.
Reading Borough Council has dedicated spending for the mayor’s services and expenses, which amounts to £17,500 each year.
Of that, £4,866 was used to pay for catering, which included chicken and rice meals and chocolate desserts at the council’s annual general meeting in May 2025.
Money is also spent on mayoral engagements, with the most costly recent example being the £919.98 spent on flights for councillor Glenn Dennis (Labour, Kentwood), mayor of Reading for 2024/25, to watch a match for the Euros 2024 football competition.
The Labour administration at the council was accused of ‘wasteful spending’ during a budget-setting meeting for the new 2026/27 financial year.
Rob White (Green, Park), the leader of the opposition, said: “On the hospitality budget, one area where savings could easily be made is the mayor’s hospitality/other budget line, that’s £17,500 per year, worryingly vague.
“This pays for £5,000 of food and alcohol for councillors and their guests at the mayor-making meeting. In recent years, thousands have been spent on alderman ceremonies and scrolls. Almost £1,000 was spent on flights to the Euros 2024 for the mayor.
“The majority of that money, £17,500 per year, would be far better given to the local foodbank, it should help struggling residents not pay for food and drink and jollies for councillors.
“What do the Greens believe? Greens believe councils should be properly funded from the government, people need support through the cost of living crisis, not above-inflation council tax rises.”
Cllr Raj Singh (Conservative, Kentwood) added: “Outside this chamber, people are asking a simple question: what are they getting back?
“Residents don’t live in spreadsheets, they live with rising bills, worsening road and services stretched thinner every year.
“History gives us a warning [in the case of] Robert Clive, the first governor of Bengal Presidency.
“For him, every time he faced financial pressure, he always extracted more money from the residents until the system itself became unsustainable. For me, there is no difference between Robert Clive and the Labour administration.”
He also alluded to the George Orwell book ‘Animal Farm ‘, stating that the burden of paying for increased costs has fallen on hardworking residents.
Cllr Singh said: “While our residents are holding food stamps, our mayor is visiting Germany with £1,000 flights.
“As a first citizen, at this time, where there is austerity under Labour, and a cost of living crisis, it wasn’t a great decision.”
In response cllr Dennis said: “I was proud to serve as Mayor of Reading, and undertook the role with absolute commitment to public service and value for money.
“Any suggestion that the mayoralty during my term was profligate with council taxpayers money is both disappointing and incorrect.
“Throughout 2024/25, I attended hundreds of local community, civic, cultural, and charitable events across Reading, supporting residents, voluntary groups, faith organisations, schools, and local causes.
“The social and community value of the mayoralty lies precisely in visibility, accessibility and advocacy for the whole town, and I approached every engagement with that sense of responsibility.
“In terms of expenses, I made every effort to keep costs to an absolute minimum.
“As the council already clarified, I used my own bus pass for the vast majority of engagements, relying on taxis only when safety concerns and late night travel made that a necessity.
“Travel costs during my term were significantly lower than previous years when the mayoral car was routinely provided.
“The visit to Dusseldorf was undertaken at the invitation of Reading’s twin town, and formed part of our long-standing civic and international relationships.
“It was an official engagement, not a discretionary or personal trip. I remain confident that my term as mayor demonstrated pride and serving Reading and as a responsible, transparent and value-focused approach to the use of public funds.”
Other Labour councillors highlighted the major projects they are delivering for residents, such as the new Central Library and Hexagon Theatre upgrade.
Liz Terry (Labour, Coley), the council leader, mentioned that the council is investing £146 million in providing affordable and sheltered housing options, and £70 million on retrofitting carbon reduction measures and improvements to existing council homes.
Meanwhile, Paul Gittings (Labour, Coley) argued the administration is making vital investments in facilities, such as the sheltered housing and adult day care centre in Hexham Road and 17 affordable homes and a respite care facility in Amethyst Lane.
Ultimately, the 2026/27 budget was passed with Labour councillors voting for it and opposition councillors voting against it at the meeting last month.
