Thursday 8 January 2009

Sunday Times Attacks H&F Council For “Splurging” Tax Payers’ Cash On Tory Councillor's French Riviera Stay

A resident sent me this story, covered last weekend in the Sunday Times. It exposes the £12,000 tax-payer funded Cannes jaunt by Hammersmith and Fulham Councillor Mark Loveday (Con) - first covered here last June.

Regular readers will recall the official H&F Council explanation given for this unusual council tax expenditure was that Cllr. Loveday and two officials were meeting property developers to “unlock contentious development sites” in our borough. Having spent last night at a public meeting to consider the highly “contentious” Goldhawk Industrial development site, with around two hundred local residents, I don’t think any of them would think Cllr. Loveday’s trip was a good use of their tax funds.

The Sunday Times tells how Cannes, in the south of France is “The resort best known for hosting Hollywood stars, but last March the high rollers in Cannes were of an altogether different ilk”. It then questions Cllr. Mark Loveday’s trip to the millionaire’s playground wondering why the Hammermith and Fulham party “appeared to book their flights so late that they were charged £2,640 for four return tickets to the south of France by easyJet, the no-frills airline”.

1 comment:

Dan Filson said...

I gather 2 Hounslow Tory councillors and a council official clocked up £13,000 visiting Cannes for the same event. No blushes even.