Spending by councils revealed

Face painting, sculptures, karting treats for problem schoolchildren and fun park meetings for teachers - these are just some of the things paid for by West Midland councils using public money.

All local authorities are now obliged to release details of every transaction over £500 following a decree by the coalition government to open up their accounts to scrutiny. But in most cases the data only lists the name of the supplier, the date and the amount they were paid.

Some local authorities have gone further and explained briefly what they got for taxpayers' money. The data has been released in spreadsheets online.

The Express & Star has trawled through the accounts and had to ask for explanations when it did not know why the supplier was on the list.

Millions of pounds worth of transactions have been censored in order to protect the identities of foster carers paid for looking after children.

The council spending data revealed Wolverhampton City Council spent £34,013 with a public relations company who produced three newsletters for it, that Dudley Council paid sculptor Tim Tolkien £4,600 and that Walsall Council paid £846 to send a group of school children go-karting.

Stafford Council spent £655 for children's face painting during a family fun day, Sandwell Council spent £76,972 with one company on catering in one month while Staffordshire County Council paid more than £11,000 to Alton Towers.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "I've called for every council to become more open and accountable about every aspect of their work, starting with getting all expenditure over £500 online by the end of January. The public have a right to know how their tax pounds are spent."

But while would-be armchair auditors have welcomed the spirit of the scheme to open up council spending to scrutiny, critics have said it does not give enough detail.

Retired police chief John Mellor, aged 81, who is standing as an independent candidate in May's council elections, said: "In its current form it is ponderous and next to useless."

This is how your local authority spent your council tax money

WOLVERHAMPTON

Wolverhampton City Council spent £253 million with various companies and organisations over the past year.

The council spent £90,612 on public relations and image, with The Happy Apple Company getting £34,013 of taxpayers' money for a newsletter three times a year for the early years and childcare service. Danks Cockburn Public Relations was also paid £3,288 to put out press releases and other information about the £270m school rebuilding plans, despite the council having its own taxpayer-funded press officers.

In total £4.6m was spent on agency staff. The council spent £2.5m on catering including £148,707 on beers wines and spirits from Matthew Clark Wholesale, much of which was sold at the Civic Hall.

DUDLEY

A sculptor was paid £4,600 by Dudley Council's children's services. Tim Tolkien's payment showed up in the November spreadsheet of spending. Council bosses said the great nephew of Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien was paid for a mural fence at Quarry Bank Primary School.

There were also payments to catering firm Brakes, which got between £12,565 and £22,648 each month in the final quarter of 2010. Brakes has a contract to deliver ingredients to a range of council services. The contract runs from July 2010 to July 2012.

Details of hundreds of payments were "redacted" with the names of the supplier removed. They amounted to between 195 and 710 payments a month up to £2m in total. Council bosses said it was because the supplier name would include personal information about people paid for looking after foster children or vulnerable adults.

SANDWELL

In one month Sandwell Council spent £24,466 with recruitment consultants Badenoch and Clark. A further £14,775 was paid to Frontline Staffing, a agency that supplies health staff. The council confirmed this was for children's social care

Blakemore Food Service was paid £76,972 by Sandwell Council in November last year for centres and residential homes while Welsh Bros Foods was paid £23,313 for the school meals service. There was also a £528 payment to 1001 Inventions Ltd. According to its website the organisation is "a global educational initiative that promotes awareness of the scientific and cultural achievements of Muslim civilisation." The council confirmed it was for books and education posters for an Islam awareness event.

WALSALL

Nuneaton based Ace Karting was paid £846 to reward 22 children for turning up to school and doing their homework. The schools involved were Frank F Harrison, Sneyd, Abbey Primary, Busill Jones Primary, Emore Green Primary and Mossley Primary. Funding came from the Government's Standards Fund.

Most of Walsall Council's spending data only lists the name of the company, not what it got in return for the money.

Tarmac Central, the company that resurfaces roads in Walsall, is earning almost £1m a month and was paid £2.9m last summer. Figures show that between July and September last year it spent £83,477 with Stannah Lifts plus £112,000 with Concept Elevators. Virgin Media got £45,401 while the council's BT bill was £164,619.

There were 2,352 transactions worth a total of £3.7m where the supplier's name was censored.

STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY

Theme Park Alton Towers was paid £11,748 by Staffordshire County Council in December for a teachers' conference. Spending data also revealed that keeping Staffordshire's 106,000 street lights on cost taxpayers £898,160 that month with payments to Lighting for Staffordshire Ltd. Carrying out criminal records bureau checks on school staff cost £18,828.

The council also paid £685.70 to Stafford's Swan Hotel and £1,615 to use Birmingham's Symphony Hall. There was a school trip to Wolverhampton's Wolf Mountain that cost £528.

STAFFORD

The council spent £655 for children's face painting. Pow Wow Face Painting was brought in for the council's Party in the Park in Victoria Park last summer. Also involved was Rainbow Productions, which was paid £955. The event included costume characters, train rides, music and dance.

LICHFIELD

Recruitment consultants received £22,298.50 for work for the benefits service at Lichfield Council. Spending figures also reveal that landscaping company BJ Leisure Installations Ltd was paid £171,373 for three pieces of work in July, August and October. There was a £995 payment to Ensafe Consultants, a company that carries out "commercial investigations" and £20,000 to Cherry Orchard Garden Services. Gemini Consultants were paid £7,906 for housing advances.

CANNOCK CHASE

Bailiffs were paid £1,193.81 for their services by Cannock Chase Council last year. Agency staffing costs came to £368,227.30.

The cost of buying new bins, including the blue bins to replace recycling boxes at people's homes, came to £570,508.82. The council claims the bins increased recycling by 20 per cent. Figures in the spending data also showed that "remedial work" in the civic suite at the council house cost £3,151

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE

Consultants cost South Staffordshire taxpayers £277,712 last year. Chiefs said they needed to bring in specialists to overhaul a revenue and benefits system and provide expert assistance in computers. Agency staff also cost £279,724. Spokesman Jamie Angus said specialists, particularly in IT, were brought in because they have the skills and expertise that are not available in-house.

WYRE FOREST DISTRICT

There was a payment of £3,400 to Maverick Construction for repairs and maintenance at toilets ib Load Street, Bewdley, building a new door and converting baby change access to male toilets and another £750 to repair potholes on car parks.

Agency staff who sorted rubbish and kept the streets clean were paid £28,695.59. The payments were made to Comensura Ltd between October and December last year and covered kerbside recycling, grounds maintenance, garden waste collection, sports pitches and "highways general cleansing".