***UPDATED 4 AUGUST 2011***
Birmingham City Council has recorded a significant drop in overseas travel costs for the local authority.
During 2010/11, a total of 114 visits were made at a cost of £25,484.
This compared to an overall 2009/10 expenditure of £57,721 on 74 trips.
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “We have an extremely transparent process through which all of our expenditure on overseas travel is approved by members and published for interested parties to see.
“It is broken down by cost, destination and the benefits gained from making the visits – each of which is a form of investment that ultimately helps improve services or attract future events and fresh business to the city.
“Where possible, we always ensure that the hosts or organisers meet the cost as opposed to the city, as is proven by last year’s figures, and by the longer-term trend for less expenditure on such travel.
“This spend also needs to be viewed within the context of an annual turnover of £3.5billion for the council, which is Europe’s largest local authority.”
At-a-glance:
2008/09 – a total of 108 visits at a cost of £82,537
2009/10 – a total of 74 visits at a cost of £57,721
2010/11 – a total of 114 visits at a cost of £25,484
Related posts:
