Taxpayers forked out more than £400 in hotel bills for speakers at a council management training course that had already cost £10,000.
Sutton Council hired training company Common Purpose for two days of sessions and paid £405 for three rooms at the local Holiday Inn because the speakers did not live within a commutable distance of Sutton.
The training sessions, laid on for 25 senior managers, took place at the Good Shepherd Church, Carshalton Beeches, during the whole day on April 23 and for a half-day on May 21.
Paul Martin, the chief executive of Sutton Council, said: “In a recession it’s vital that we adapt to the changing demands placed on the council so that now, more than ever, we provide value-for-money services to people in Sutton. No council staff stayed at the hotel.
“The total cost of the training was £11,907.67 or less than £320 per day for each of the managers who attended the sessions. We believe this represents good value for money in comparison to market rates for staff training.”
A spokeswoman for Common Purpose said: “One staff member travelled from Derbyshire and therefore there were no trains early enough to enable her to get there on time.
“The other two staff members were travelling from different destinations in London and were carrying lots of equipment – again, due to the early hour and need to set up all the equipment in time, it was decided it was better to stay near the venue.”
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