Lincolnshire County Council splashed out £16,000 on hot drinks for councillors in a year, according to figures obtained by Mail on Sunday.
The Sunday newspaper found councils across the UK are splurging more than £300,000 a year on tea and biscuits between them.
But the biggest spender is Lincolnshire, which splashed out £16,000 on hot drinks for its councillors as they raised council tax by an inflation-busting 4.5 per cent and made £16 million cuts to services.
Meanwhile, Dorset spent almost £14,000 on McVitie’s Family Circle biscuits, Typhoo tea and Kenco coffee.
The figures – and the brands each local authority favours – were revealed in responses to Freedom of Information requests made by The Mail on Sunday.
Figures from 278 authorities showed Crawford’s Teatime to be the most popular biscuit brand, with nine councils opting for the selection pack of six types of snack, which sells for £1.89.
PG Tips proved to be the most popular teabag, with 38 councils listing it as their regular brew, followed by Tetley with 31 councils.
Every council was asked how much they spent in 2018 on tea and biscuits for council committee meetings, and on which brands. Big-spending Lincolnshire refused to say what sort of refreshment they bought.
Harry Fone, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Taxpayers will be boiling mad at these figures. Council tax rises every year, yet councils continue to take the biscuit.’
Nigel West at Lincolnshire County Council said drinks machines in committee rooms are not just for councillors, but also visitors. ‘At 84p per cup, we don’t feel the cost is excessive,’ he added.
It is a well known and well documented fact that those in positions of authority I.e. council bodies see themselves as somewhat elevated from the rest of the common herd and treat themselves accordingly.
Over indulge at their own expense is one thing but to do it at the tax payers expense is another thing completely.
I would simply ask “What gives them the right to do it.”
If you want to witness how money can successfully be wasted you only have to look at Councils up and down the land.
They no doubt will roll out every conceivable excuse as to why this expense is to them justifiable.
Well let them try telling that to some poor individual who through no fault of their own are spiralling into debt because they can’t make ends meet.
Massive county – hundreds of employees that sit at meets ! A headline too agitate, bet it works out! next to nothing in the per day\weeks! Wind up!