Refreshments such as tea, coffee and biscuits, plus cold buffets and hot lunches for members cost the local authority £88,591.96 in 2008/9 — an increase of £6840 on the previous financial year.

A free lunchtime buffet is provided during committee meetings for around 25 councillors each time, while at full council meetings a cooked meal is available free of charge for all 80 elected members, who are paid salaries ranging from £16,234 to £37,880.

The total also includes money spent on catering at public ward forum meetings and in-house training.

The figures, obtained by The Inverness Courier under the Freedom of Information Act, are revealed as the council struggles to find £80 million in savings over the next three years.

When presented with the details yesterday some Inverness councillors, who admitted they regularly enjoyed lunch courtesy of the tax-payer, called for an assessment of how money can be saved on food and drink.

"The whole thing needs to be reviewed," acknowledged Councillor Donnie Kerr. "We should be looking to economise right across the board and we should be leading by example. When there is something like this with the recession we have all got to pull our weight. People take great umbrage to the fact councillors are maybe wining and dining on Council Tax — and rightly they should too."

Councillor Alasdair Christie is well aware of the hardship some residents are facing in the current economic crisis in his role as manager of Inverness Citizens Advice Bureau, and he too believes the council's food bill could be reduced.

"I know from my work at the CAB that people are struggling to pay for food, fuel and clothes, so it's only right and proper that councillors do look at these expenses," he said. "When times are hard for people we should be cutting it right the way down to a minimum. Most people that work, if they want to have biscuits or other food, have to pay for it themselves.

"We need to see if we can get savings to pump into front-line services. I would like to see any savings from cutting down on food like sandwiches being diverted into keeping projects like Beechwood House (a designated centre for alcoholics and drug users) open in Inverness because that obviously provides such a valuable and needed service."

But council convener Sandy Park defended the spending, adding it would be inconvenient for councillors and some officials to have lunch outwith the council building when meetings are held, especially if members have travelled long distances to attend.

"I'm a wee bit old fashioned, I still believe in Highland hospitality," said Councillor Park, who is the highest paid councillor with a basic salary of £37,880. "When somebody comes in it would be a very poor meeting if we couldn't offer them a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit."

Councillors and officials are consuming food and drink worth £350-a-day. Alasdair Allen

A council spokesman stressed it tried to keep costs to a minimum by arranging meetings to avoid having to provide a meal, adding costs were drawn from its £598 million budget for this financial year. He added the council was always looking at ways to be more efficient.

"All budget holders have to make a value judgement about the best way to spend their resources," he said. "If the budget is spent in a particular way which differs from the original allocation then reductions have to be identified elsewhere in the same budget — the bottom line for budget holders does not change."

But one council employee, who wished to remain anonymous, expects news of the spending to trigger discontent among workers concerned for their jobs.

He called on senior officials benefiting from free meals at the Town House to change their ways.

"When people are losing their jobs and those that remain are having their pay cut there can be absolutely no excuse for someone earning £100,000-plus each year receiving anything free of charge out of the public purse," he said.

A typical council menu

A lunch-time buffet provided for councillors attending a committee meeting at the Town House or Glenurquhart Road can include:

Soup, sandwiches, sausage rolls, pies, pasta, quiche, salad, cheese, cakes and buns, fruit, tea, coffee, orange juice, milk, sugar.

A full council meeting at Glenurquhart Road can include: Meat (often chicken or beef) and vegetables; vegetarian option; dessert (often sponge cake and custard or gateau); fruit, tea, coffee, orange juice, milk, sugar.

Refreshments at the majority of meetings include: Twinings and Fairtrade teas (including a mix of fruit/green teas), coffee, variety of biscuits and sometimes chocolate teacakes.

andrew.dixon@inverness-courier.co.uk

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