£133k taxpayers’ cash spent on Jags for councils
Thousands of pounds of taxpayers cash is being spent on luxury cars for mayors and council officials.
A Freedom of Information request by the TaxPayers’ Alliance has revealed big spending on posh Jaguars for mayors and other council officials across the Black Country and Staffordshire.
Bosses at the Alliance have called it ‘excessive’ when most councils are already strapped for cash, and are calling for mayors to use their own vehicles or even public transport to attend events.
But authority chiefs have hit back, saying the role of mayor is a ‘prestigious’ and ‘historic’ one which warrants its own car.
They also say they are supporting a local company and jobs by only buying or leasing Jaguars.
JLR has a factory on the i54 site, near Wolverhampton, and is building a brand new huge showroom on the Penn Road in the city too.
Figures show that overall councils in the Black Country spent about £89,000 since 2015 on various high class transport, while Staffordshire County Council spent £44,000 on the running of a Jaguar XJL.
In the Black Country, Walsall council spent £31,387.60 on using and maintaining both a Jaguar XJ 3.0 V6 Portfolio (2013) and Jaguar XJ 2.7 Sovereign (2007) over the last three years, Dudley spent £24,668.60 on a Jaguar XF (Luxury) 2.0 V6 Diesel, Wolverhampton spent £22,584 on a Jaguar XJ, and Sandwell spent £10,383.90 on a Jaguar XJ 30L.
Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Phil Page said: “When you’re wearing the mayoral chain you can’t go on a bus, can you? It’s too valuable. I think the costs are low compared to what we do. It’s about the city’s image and representing the people of Wolverhampton.
“I think we are already very careful over when the cars are used for events the mayor goes to. Sometimes it is more economical to take the car rather than the train.”
Councillor Roger Lawrence, leader of Wolverhampton Council, defended the high sum, saying: “The mayor represents the city of Wolverhampton on a local, national and international stage.
“They are the first citizen and the Queen’s representative. Each year, the mayor can attend 500 plus engagements including the opening of new businesses, charity fundraisers, community get togethers, military remembrance events, schools and many others. They also raise thousands of pounds for their own nominated charities and good causes.
“The office of mayor is an historic and prestigious role and the council currently leases a Jaguar XJ as the mayoral car. It is leased from a local dealership and we are supporting a brand which has a major factory on the Wolverhampton/Staffordshire border. Leasing the car means the model is newer and more environmentally friendly, it costs £9,500 per year and this includes all maintenance costs.”
Councillor Steve Eling, leader of Sandwell Council, said: “Sandwell Council does not lease any luxury vehicles for use by the mayor or councillors.
"The council owns a number of vehicles, which are used to take the mayor, deputy mayor, cabinet members and officers to meetings, events and other commitments that they are required to attend in Sandwell and around the West Midlands where it is appropriate to do so.”
Leader of Staffordshire County Council Philip Atkins added: “The chairman of the County Council represents Staffordshire at a local and national level, and needs to carry out their civic duties effectively.
“The role of the chairman also includes representing Staffordshire’s industries and success stories, including the likes of Jaguar Land Rover and our links with their engine plant at i54. The current chairman’s vehicle is leased rather than bought as it is more cost effective in terms of overall purchase cost and includes routine maintenance.”
And Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said: “Over the course of a year the mayor will attend in the region of 700 functions, including charities and businesses, and over the last three years they have raised more than £150,000 for worthy causes and have brought in tens of thousands of pounds of investment from local businesses.
“We currently lease a single vehicle throughout the year that is used for almost all civic engagements.”
Walsall Council did not respond to a request for comment.
