Cash-strapped town hall bosses went on an away day to a luxury hotel – to learn how to save money.
Oldham Council – which is set to cut 500 jobs – spent £145 a head sending 20 politicians and officers to the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club.
They were discussing: 'trying to deliver better services in the face of reduced funding from central government'.
The money was spent on overnight accommodation, food, refreshments and the hire of conference facilities.
Lib Dem council leader Howard Sykes and chief executive Charlie Parker, were among the 'senior leadership' team who spent the night in the four-star venue just 15 miles away from the council's own recently upgraded meeting rooms.
Coun Sykes was taken to the venue, which includes a championship golf course and has been used by the England football team, in a civic car.
A council spokesperson defended the event and described it as 'good value'.
But the leader of the town's Labour opposition branded it 'bizarre'.
Bizarre
Opposition leader Jim McMahon said: “The tax payer must be looking at this council as completely out of touch. To spend £500,000 on upgrading your own facilities and then having to go outside of your own borough is bizarre. It's just one thing after another and you have to wonder how much more people will take.”
A spokesman for the council said: “Local authorities are facing significant challenges in trying to deliver better services in the face of reduced funding from central government.
“As part of planning for the future the Council’s senior leadership team holds two of these 24-hour strategic events each year.
“All officers and politicians attended this in their own free, unsalaried time. Most councillors have day jobs, which is why the event had to be held starting on a Friday afternoon and into that evening, before running throughout Saturday daytime.
“The practice of holding away day events is common amongst many other local authorities. It has been taking place in Oldham for a number of years and was also done by previous administrations.
“A total of 20 politicians and officers attended this event at an estimated cost of around £2,900 for overnight accommodation, food, refreshments, and the hire of conferencing facilities. This works out at around £145 per delegate, which is competitive and good value.”
Earlier this week the under-fire council said they may cut 500 jobs over the next three to five years in a bid to beat the credit crunch.
They are also yet to find out how much they will have pay after their prosecution of kitchens trader Vance Miller was thrown out of court – although town hall bosses plan to appeal and say they are insured.
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MPs gravy train, UK (04/03/2010 at 09:32)
Leon Trotsky (04/03/2010 at 09:36)
'Champagne', 'socialism', 'profligacy', 'waste', 'bureaucracy', 'fraud', - No other way to describe socialist run councils!, however they are only emulating this corrupt Liebore government.
Bobby Johnstone's left kneecap, Hong Kong (04/03/2010 at 09:40)
Jay B, oldham (04/03/2010 at 09:42)
this is a council who are totally incompetant at running just the general basic services here.
these lot are already running oldham on a shoestring! yet i cannot understand why? afterall oldhams council tax is one of the highest in britain.
they'll gladly cream off all they can for themselves in perks but yet do their jobs properly.
councils are voted in to run the borough and give its residents what they need. yet all thay seem to do is waste it of pointless things. and usually with poor if not no actual results at all.
like bringing in top flight accountants in at a cost of £3million to try and save money on their debts. which actually where higher a year later!
or
the failed vance miller case which was slated by the judge for sheer imcompetance on the councils part.
or
the many many surveys they keep doing on the condition of the old town hall, which is just crumbling to the ground.
or
the oldham athletics bid to build a new ground, which they have face nothing but opposition from local residents and even latics fans themselves.
something really needs to be done soon as the way they are going this town will be completely destroyed by there idiotic ideas.
J smith (04/03/2010 at 09:48)
Donnie Tobasco, Rochdale (04/03/2010 at 10:20)
Lib Council = Chuckle Vision
Donnie Tobasco, Rochdale (04/03/2010 at 10:35)
J smith
Unless theres an outbreak of moron virus i dont theres any chance of that happening. Fingers crossed the people of Rochdale and Oldham are smart enough to get rid of these incompitent clowns.
Donkey Stoner, Doorstep Edge (04/03/2010 at 10:36)
"This works out at around £145 per delegate, which is competitive and good value.”
If that was a quote from the hoter owners - Great, if it was from a council tax payer I would be surprised, If any meaningful measures were thought of i would be astounded.
Jay B, oldham (04/03/2010 at 10:38)
oh sorry they'll be lapping up nice drinks so they wont be able to drive later as they'll be under the influence!
charliepapalima, Flixton (04/03/2010 at 11:01)
Paul Bobs (04/03/2010 at 11:14)
Leon Trotsky (04/03/2010 at 11:16)
Liberal liars / socialist liars = all from the same mould, i.e. incompetent and fraudulent.
Jeremy Sutcliffe (04/03/2010 at 11:53)
There is value in "away days" where senior councillors and officers get together at a venue outside the hothouse of the Civic Centre but there are plenty of possible locations in the borough, some even Council owned which would not have required overnight accommodation and cost virtually nothing. And if a local private venue had been chosen at least the money would have bee going back into the local economy.
The Truth (04/03/2010 at 12:42)
Ms B, Manchester (04/03/2010 at 13:00)
I won't hold my breath!
Stephen Barrow, Manchester (04/03/2010 at 13:23)
semi literate simian (04/03/2010 at 13:42)
Anne Coates, Jersey Street (04/03/2010 at 14:43)
Jay B, oldham (04/03/2010 at 14:57)
even though labours rule before had left the town in £10 million of debt the people of oldham did get much better services back then. now we have the lib dems in that debt seems to have trebled and yet at the same time the quality of the services has dipped and they've already done lots of cutbacks on employees and facilites. the least i you'd expect is that the council tax prices freeze or drop. but they haven't. we seem to be paying more money and getting less for it!
Sykes and co need to be investigated! fraudulant activity seems to be rife on ombc towers!
Is It Me? (04/03/2010 at 15:20)
selfexiled (04/03/2010 at 15:34)
There are standing orders in local government as to what is classed as legitimate expenditure and I would bet that the department responsible for this junket as adhered to those standing orders.The moral question in this present climate of austerity driven initiatives should it have taken place,the answer is with the people who allowed it to happen and the question for them is should you really be doing a job in local government.
The Realist SW14 (04/03/2010 at 15:48)
FACT (in my personal opinion)
fed up with it, sale (04/03/2010 at 16:05)
Sparky was the best ever (04/03/2010 at 16:07)
Vote for David, tory land (04/03/2010 at 16:35)