A Reading councillor has defended his record as Mayor over allegations of wasteful spending.
Councillor Glenn Dennis (Labour, Kentwood) was the Mayor of Reading for 2024/25.
He attended nearly 200 civic engagements in that time, including the opening of the new clubhouse kitchen at Reading City FC and the naming of the Windrush Roundabout.
His term also saw him attend the 2024 European football championship in Düsseldorf, Germany, to watch Ukraine beat Slovakia 2-1.
Reading Borough Council spent £919.98 on flights for the visit, which was revealed in a freedom of information (FOI) request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Cllr Dennis answered allegations at the council’s budget-setting meeting.
He 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 Düsseldorf 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.”
Cllr Dennis addressed opposition councillors Rob White (Green, Park), Raj Singh (Conservative, Kentwood) and James Moore (Liberal Democrats, Tilehurst) at the start of his speech.
Cllr Moore pointed out that the council was on the verge of issuing a section 114 notice, effectively declaring itself bankrupt, as it has a forecast cumulative deficit of £48.627 million for supporting children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities.
He then linked these financial issues with spending for the mayor and failing to deliver on savings.
Cllr Moore said: “This is not just the product of external pressure; it is a product of decisions made by this administration.
“Yet this is the same administration whose mayor flew to Düsseldorf at public expense to watch a football match, the cost of which only came to light through an FOI and whose true costs had to be corrected after an initial disclosure omitted the eye-watering £919.98 flights.”
Ultimately, all Labour councillors voted for the budget, and all the opposition voted against it at the budget-setting meeting last month.
