Hot water-gate: How cash-strapped Council ferried tea by taxi
CORNWALL COUNCIL hired taxis to ferry tea and coffee between offices.
The cash-strapped local authority, which is making £110 million of cuts this year, used the cabs to run refreshments from the County Hall canteen to Carrick House less than a mile away. The drinks run was sanctioned for several meetings early this year after the canteen at the former Carrick District Council headquarters was closed following a review of catering services.
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The tea journey
But the move has been condemned as another “own goal” for the unitary authority which has slashed many frontline services.
Independent councillor Andrew Wallis said: “This is another spectacular own goal. On the one hand we are cutting back on public services but on the other we can afford to have tea and coffee chauffeured around. The amount of money may have been small, but it is the principle that is completely wrong. It makes us, as an authority, look ridiculous and does nothing for the public’s perception of the council.”
A Cornwall Council spokesman admitted taxis had been used on three occasions.
She said: “Up until the end of December 2010 a canteen at the council’s Carrick House provided catering services for both staff who worked in the building and the public attending meetings.
“This was closed following a review of all the council’s catering facilities which identified that continuing to run the canteen at Carrick House was not cost-effective.
“Instead, it was agreed to provide basic tea and coffee-making facilities which could be used by staff working in the building and to provide refreshments for meetings.
“Work on dismantling the canteen and providing the new facilities has now been completed.
“While this work was being carried out any catering for meetings held at Carrick House was supplied by staff at New County Hall as a temporary measure. During January and February this was transported using a council van which was also used for other duties.
At the beginning of March, however, the van was returned to the lease company as the work it had been involved in had ceased.
“As a result a local taxi company was used on three occasions to deliver large flasks of tea and coffee to Carrick House to provide refreshments for meetings at a cost of £3.50 per trip – a total cost of £10.50.”
7 Comments
by Dom, L.A. (London Apprentice)
Friday, April 01 2011, 9:16AM
“Really, £10.50. Is this even a story? The the councillors get on with their work rather than make them waste time defending such a tiny out-lay.”
by Alan Goudge, Newquay
Friday, April 01 2011, 9:12AM
“Buy a Flask”
by A little indian with a tomahawk to grind!, Camborne
Friday, April 01 2011, 12:46AM
“The previous comments missed a vital point in the article. Council vans were used to deliver tea "while on other duties". Can one assume that meetings were arranged to coincide with these "other duties"? I think not!
The Carrick canteen became unviable because staff were re-located to other areas. The canteen closed, 2 full time staff lost their jobs.
The lower paid staff left behind purchased kettles, tea/coffee/milk - previously always paying for refreshments from the canteen.
Note - tea/coffee supplied at meetings is charged to the services i.e. council budget.
A few months later...following new carpets and a lick of paint in the empty offices...other staff are re-located to Carrick to fill the space left by previous staff. The canteen could have become viable again.
Please consider the following if you think £10.50 is trivial.
The cost of the redundancy of the canteen staff, the dismantling of the canteen to provide new facilities, the increase on utility bill for using individual kettles, the use of council vans and driver to deliver refreshments as "interim", the cost of refurbishment, furniture removal vans to and fro...the list goes on.
Slightly more than £10.50 me thinks!”
by H I Manning, The Wirral
Thursday, March 31 2011, 9:22PM
“Poor old Alf Beckerleg my school master and former mayor of Penzance told me I was a dull boy. This dull boy did well and learned to make tea. Put the Tory in charge of tea making and get some value out of a councillor.”
by Jim, Cornwall
Thursday, March 31 2011, 7:44PM
“Fail to see the problem here, it would have cost more to buy a kettle!”
by Bernie, Redruth
Thursday, March 31 2011, 7:06PM
“Thats nothing- last week the chief executive Kevin Levery, the leader of the council Mr Robertson and 5 officers travelled all the way to London, stayed in a hotel and went to an awards ceremony. They were in the running for the best improved council prize- guess what they cam back empty handed! How much did that fiasco cost us ratepayers?”
by Dave, Truro
Thursday, March 31 2011, 6:37PM
“£10.50! The horror!
Bit of a populist response by Cllr Wallis.”