The Government has been urged to “stop treating taxpayers like an unlimited expense account” after a rise in spending on civil servants’ away days.
Government departments have been told to stop ‘wasting money on away days’ (Image: Getty)
The Government has been urged to “stop treating taxpayers like an unlimited expense account” after it emerged civil servants had spent £247,000 on away days so far this year. The taxpayer funds were spent across nine departments on hotel stays, theatre trips and football matches in the last nine months.
In one instance, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade was found to have spent over £45,000 on a single event at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Anna Strickland, spokesperson for the TaxPayers’ Alliance thinktank, said departments should “stop treating taxpayers like an unlimited expense account”.
She added: “Whitehall was told to stop wasting money on away days, yet officials are still booking football stadiums and four-star hotels. Spending £13,750 so colleagues can get to know each other better will look particularly ridiculous to taxpayers footing the bill.”
The Ministry of Justice was among the departments reportedly splashing tens of thousands on trips (Image: Getty)
The analysis from The Telegraph comes despite pledges last spring by then-Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden to “radically” reform the Civil Service.
Mr McFadden said Labour would ban spending on “unnecessary branded merchandise and staff ‘away days’” to focus on funding “frontline public resources, kick-starting economic growth, rebuilding the NHS and strengthening our borders”.
Instead, average monthly spending on senior Civil Service away days has nearly tripled this year compared to Labour’s first three months in office, rising from around £10,000 to around £27,000, as per The Telegraph.
Other departmental spending included the Ministry of Justice allocating over £34,000 to an event held at a theatre in Birmingham focused on “strengthening performance, leadership and culture across the organisation”.
A Government spokesperson said: “While staff events can strengthen collaboration and productivity, every pound spent must offer value for taxpayers. We have introduced stricter controls requiring events to use free Government venues as standard.
“External venues are permitted only in exceptional circumstances, and teams must show how using them delivers value for money and advances public priorities.”
Over-65s using new ‘S’ sticker to warn drivers on roads
Elderly drivers are being labelled on the roads, with thousands of badges already handed out to people aged 65 and over.
A sticker has been designed to label older drivers on the road (Image: Getty)
Older drivers have been labelling themselves on roads, with a rise in over-65s opting for stickers to warn other drivers of their age. The ‘Signal Seniors’ association has sold stickers to older drivers in France since 2016, but an increasing number of vehicles are now taking advantage of the scheme.
The badges contain a large letter S, with the words ‘Votre aîné au volant’ alongside it, French for ‘senior citizen at the wheel’. The badges are not mandatory and don’t need to be used, but they can send a message to other road users to take extra caution around vehicles.
Displaying the ‘S’ sticker is completely voluntary (Image: FranceInfo)
The association has now sold as many as 15,000 badges over the past decade. The labels are also cheap, with road users charged just €4 (£3.44) for a self-adhesive sticker, or €6 (£5.16) for a magnetic badge. The 15cm x 15cm logo is designed to be placed on the rear of the vehicle, ensuring that it is visible to motorists following a car.
The stickers are similar to ‘A’ badges available for newly qualified road users, or the ‘baby on board’ stickers. Motorists can secure the stickers at any age, but those over 65 could benefit most. Data shows that some 16% of drivers on French roads are aged above 65.
The stickers could be helpful for any British pensioners planning to take their vehicles across the continent to France on holiday. These can be picked up online ahead of a trip, giving older drivers an extra peace of mind before embarking on a long trip on foreign soil.
Signal Senior said: “Should we simply forbid all our seniors from driving or from undergoing some kind of medical examination? We believe it is more sensible to preserve their independence while it is still possible rather than discriminate against them.
The badge may give older road users peace of mind (Image: FranceInfo)
“That is why the Signal Senior association has found an alternative for everyone; far from wanting to make this disc mandatory for all our seniors, we believe it should only be used by elderly people who have slightly lost confidence behind the wheel and who want to feel more reassured by being visible to other drivers.”
However, French officials have already confirmed there are no plans to make the badges mandatory, meaning elderly road users are not being forced to display the sticker.
Sécurité routière, France’s road safety authority, said: “People who consider it useful to display such a badge on their vehicle are completely free to do so, but there is no plan to make this display compulsory.”
Andy Burnham’s new bombshell plan could mark ‘beginning of the end’ for PM
The prime minister has vowed to reform the social care system.
Andy Burnham has vowed to reform the social care system (Image: Getty)
Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid has voiced concerns that if Andy Burnham‘s new plans involve targeting pensioners, then it could mark the “beginning of the end” of his time in office. On Sunday (September 27), the prime minister said he is prepared to make unpopular choices and hike taxes to fund an NHS-style social care system. However, he has been warned against scrapping the triple lock, which ensures the state pension rises each year by whichever is highest of inflation, average earnings growth or 2.5%.
Susanna, 55, highlighted the major problem Keir Starmer faced when he came into office after removing the winter fuel allowance for pensioners, sparking widespread outrage. She argued that while the social care system needs to be reformed, questions remain over how it will be funded. “Unfortunately, there is a massive issue about how we pay for it because it would cost billions,” Susanna said. Of course, that would be a worthwhile investment, but that money has to come from somewhere.”
A Good Morning Britain viewer who got in touch via WhatsApp said: “I hope Burnham doesn’t make the same mistake which Starmer did by targeting pensioners who don’t get much, especially if they only get the state pension.”
Susanna explained: “Because it could be a removal of the triple lock on pensioners. The comparison is being made with Starmer coming in and removing the winter fuel allowance. That was the beginning of the end for that prime minister.”
Ed Balls added: “That is right. Andy Burnham is passionate about this. He says he is going to rip the plaster off. He has been campaigning for a tax rise or more money for social care for the past 15 years.”
Susanna acknowledged: “It’s really honourable and we all want social care fixed.”
Ed pointed out where Starmer went wrong, arguing that he won the election on a manifesto pledge to retain the winter fuel payment, only to go back on his word and scrap it after taking office.
Susanna Reid pointed out that Keir Starmer’s decision to scrap the winter fuel payment marked the “beginning of the end” of his time in office (Image: ITV)
The presenter went on: “Andy Burnham is not going to make that mistake because he is going to announce on Tuesday what will be in the next manifesto for Labour.
“He says the only solution on social care is to break the manifesto from the last time round. That either means a rise in income tax, National Insurance or VAT to pay for it.”
“Or it means something else, and everybody is saying in the papers today that it looks likely that he will drop the triple lock on pensions.
“That therefore means pensioners will end up, in some sense, paying for this. What Andy Burnham did yesterday on the Laura Kuenssberg show was announce the most central, controversial proposal.”
Ed added: “It is absolutely massive.”
Susanna weighed in: “Yes, because there is a huge row about how we pay for our defence. And can you do both of them?”