Sir Richard Leese's spending included £1,103.10 of taxpayers' cash going to a trade fair in Nice and £780.30 to see Stockholm's congestion charge scheme.
He topped an M.E.N. table of spending on flights by Greater Manchester's 10 council leaders in the last financial year.
The information, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, showed Bury boss Bob Bibby spent £1,592.40 on two trade trips to China, while Salford leader John Merry spent £883.62 attending the same Nice event as Sir Richard. Lord Peter Smith, leader of Wigan council, spent £261.80 flying to Paris for his annual trip to Wigan's twin town of Angiers and £617 going to Kiev to lobby for the Ukrainian Olympic team to use Leigh Sports Village as its British base.
Stockport's leader spent just £45.47 - on a flight to Southampton for a conference of council chiefs. The leaders of Trafford, Tameside, Bolton, Rochdale and Oldham used no council cash on air travel at all.
In all, the other five chiefs spent £6,804.09 on flights.
Sir Richard's bill included the £780.30 for a trip in September that took him from Amsterdam to Stockholm to Copenhagen, and back to Manchester. The council said it was a `fact-finding visit to Stockholm re environmental issues, including their model for road pricing'.
Manchester Airport's website shows an economy Manchester-Stockholm return for the same dates this year for £130.40. He also flew to Southampton (£231.55), Brussels (£518) and Gdansk (£770.90).
A council spokesman said it had a tendering process for all services, including travel, seeking the best prices where possible, adding: "On occasion, a premium has to be paid to allow flexibility or extra costs may be incurred to amend flights."
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
Why are the council keen to defend the prices?
Seeing as this council is so green would they please explain to us how much carbon was emitted during these flights?
He is the leader of Manchester council; maybe he should spend his time there where he was elected into, rather than gallivanting round Europe at his voter’s expense. I hope you all remember this along with the rest of his faults when the voting is here again!
These flight expenses might have been incurred attending conferences on Climate Change. Labour councillors are good at telling the rest of us what to do.
So is the council being lambasted for daring to spend tax payers money in such a way or applauded for bothering to look beyond the region for new ways of managing the city?
Manchester is the UK's second city (or third depending who you ask). The council leaders have a duty to maintain ties with the rest of Europe and the world to ensure that Manchester remains a city the World has heard of beyond the football.
£6,804.09 for 5 council leaders travel in 12 months is nothing. As any frequent traveller can tell you, air travel prices can fluctuate widely depending on the specific dates, other events on at the same time, the availability of seats and how far in advance the seats are booked. Event dates can not be changed because of one attendee finding it "slightly" expensive.
Travelling at peak time with Europe (first and last flights of the day) also adds an extra premium, although then saves on unneccessary over night hotel stays which would actually cost more in both money and productive time lost.
And as for comparing Manchester CC to the likes of Stockport and Rochdale, that is just misleading journalism and equivalent to comparing Manchester Uniteds flight budget to that of Carlisle United.
what does he care how much it costs he does,nt have to pay for it.it comes out of our council tax they dont give a dam.
You really do have to feel sorry for Sir Dicky; those laughter lines around his eyes are on the verge of becoming permanent.
Fact finding in this day and age with computers?? With his offices he should be able to get most facts about most things exept the local resturaunts and the large dinners..oh and the flights..oh and other perks .that you dont get when you fact find with a computer?
Perhaps Mr Leese should take a trip to Salford...Speak with his Counterpart there,to ascertain how he managed not to spend £219.48 extra on the Nice Trip.
Excellent post, SamV.
I'm of an opinion that many of this message board's resident 'Me-Me(s), have been no further than the town hall well.
How dare someone representing our great city venture further than the end of Corporation Street, in an attempt to bolster Manchester's growing, worldwide reputation.
It would be interesting should 'Lord Snooty' - and his gaggle of 'green' toffs - ever be Prime Minister.... then we'd see waste on a grand scale.
And their particular emissions in the Palace of Westminster, I find truly disturbing.
Intriguing that over the weekend, 'Call me Dave', refused to say that he wouldn't raise taxes - not that he'll ever get the chance.
I have no problems with officials flying if they have to. Just so long as they use standard seats for short haul european flights and get the best deals.
£1000 to Nice doesn't feel like the best deal to me though. Even the most open of return tickets to Nice are not that price - unless you are flying business class via London.
Before I fill out my Congestion charge comments section, I think I should take a trip to Stockholm as well... Just to be sure that I know what I'll be commenting about.
Laura... You can pay for my ticket and hotel (and drinks and food and... didn't he also go to Amsterdam?)
Ah I see the resident Town Hall apologist Laura Norder is here spreading the Labour Love around.
You must have to bite your bottom lip whilst typing that codswallop into your keyboard my lad.
It'll be wonderful when Labour are dumped out of power in less than 24 months and cast out into the political wilderness for a decade or more.
Lovely, bring it on!
"Ah I see the resident Town Hall apologist Laura Norder is here spreading the Labour Love around.
You must have to bite your bottom lip whilst typing that codswallop into your keyboard my lad.
It'll be wonderful when Labour are dumped out of power in less than 24 months and cast out into the political wilderness for a decade or more.
Lovely, bring it on!" - Kurt Stevens, Sale
Not much of a riposte, is it?
Remind me how long the Snories have been sidelined - and still are. And as for the FibDems... do they travel everywhere with cushions? All those splinters from fence-sitting must be painful.
But surely , m'boy, your council is in Trafford, isn't it? Go and play in your own garden.
Oops! That taunt is usually directed by you and your acolytes when someone from beyond your locale disagrees with you. Nice.
But answer me: would Big Dave C. be putting up taxes or what? I think we all know the answer to that. don't we. ;-)
where is my anti-labour post? I see pro-labour Laura has free rain.
The MEN's political bias is disturbing and disgusting.
"where is my anti-labour post? I see pro-labour Laura has free rain.
The MEN's political bias is disturbing and disgusting." - Councillor Allheart, in a black cab
It looks like you wasted your go, whingeing. Blub!
For the record: I don't need rain - free or otherwise - thanks.
A free rein would be nice if I had an horse, though.
Manchester. Wake up. Evening News. Wake up. You are an International City! Manchester needs to be represented on that scale and also learn from other cities around the globe. "The leaders of Trafford, Tameside, Bolton, Rochdale and Oldham used no council cash on air travel at all".... because they aren't international cities! The people of Manchester have so many benefits from living in such a wonderful, forward thinking city that sets them apart from all the other city dwelling inhabitants of the UK. I don’t think a travel bill of £3,400 is a big ask for such an incredible city. It’s embarrassing that MEN feel it worthy to print this and that fellow Mancunians are up in arms about it. Wake up and smell the coffee!
Considering we have a labour council and a labour government whinging about our carbon footprint on the planet? MCC own the airport and the councillors wanted to build themselves a carpark and the Townhall residents fly all over the place when in reality they could have found everything they wanted on the net...its that old addage "do as we say"
Slightly off topic but this information had to be gathered using the freedom of information act. Surely it should be freely available for all to see should they wish.
When information is withheld I often wonder why it is being kept from me.
Once these clowns have 2.8 billion in the bank they will be able to ‘fact find’ as much as they like.
Why does using a plane for a business trip become a political issue or even a news trip.
"Do it on a computer" Great suggestion if your whole world revolves around moaning, collecting benefits and sitting on your **** all day doing nothing. In the real world people use planes, trains and automobiles.
If there was an article about Richard Leese visiting the toilet, you lot would find a reason to complain.
I am no Labour apologist but please change the record.
Oliver you rant, Manchester. Wake up. Evening News. Wake up. Your surname would be Leese would it.
once again a free holiday paid for by the taxpayers get rid of leese now and let him take a few more cronies with him
MC Spanner
Unfortunately some of us are not healthy enough to wor,but dont worry yourself because ive done my 18 hour days seven days a week hard graft.but i really hope that you dont have the "So called benefit" of being disabled with one of these so called ilness.
"MC Spanner Unfortunately some of us are not healthy enough to wor,but dont worry yourself because ive done my 18 hour days seven days a week hard graft.but i really hope that you dont have the "So called benefit" of being disabled with one of these so called ilness.
- ace, manchester
You seem to do okay using a keyboard. Working from home is also an option for many.
Funny how it's always 'the other bloke' that's the 'scrounger', isn't it?
Oliver and Mr Leese! Wake up yourselves! ever heard of easyjet, jet2 and other budget airlines? doesnt seem so!
Nice for £1,103.10! i get £75 eachway! do that £950 wasted!
As for £780.30 to see Stockholm's congestion charge scheme. we dont want the scheme in the first place so why are you going looking at other countries till we decide weather or not we want one.
Make the right decision for manchester and scrap the con charge but demand the money the government promised us before for the big bang with no strings attached!
Manchester Council Tax payers may well feel aggrieved at the cost of the Leader's trips. The way conferences like this should be attended in this era is by video conferencing.
Oh, but then no free holiday, food, booze etc., just back to work! And don't think the cost was limited to the airline tickets.
But that's as nothing compared to the Mayor of Tameside. He IS in touch with the electronic age and even has a BLOG on the Tameside website wherein he reveals that he and his wife went on a 4 day visit to Montigny-le-Bretonneux, just outside Paris, in the mayoral car!!! I make it 1018 miles return and, of course, there would be a chauffeur and the Mayor's attendant, ferries, accommodation, food etc. I'll bet that was more than £3400 just for the one trip! And what about the carbon footprint? Don't mention it.