Figures show how Croydon Council 'payment cards' are used

FOUR-STAR hotels, gym memberships and Marks & Spencer chocolates – just some of the items that you, the Croydon taxpayer, was billed for by council staff using 'payment' cards.

Figures released to the Advertiser under the Freedom of Information Act also show £270 was spent on Crystal Palace tickets for the council's social care team, £284 on a Nintendo Wii and £157 on fake snow for Croydon Clocktower.

But Croydon Council say the staff cards are used to "enable the council to ensure services can be supplied [to the public] as quickly as possible".

More than £250,000 has been spent on the 76 cards made available to council employees since April 2010.

Croydon Labour chief and leader of the opposition, Tony Newman, said: "This is a deeply disturbing exposure.

"Spending money on a gym membership, numerous boxes of chocolates, football tickets and vastly expensive hotels all at the expense of Croydon taxpayers is unbelievable. Some of the purchases read more like that of a couple away for a luxury weekend break, rather than those of someone in local government."

More items bought included a £300 metal detector, ordered on behalf of the substance misuse team for a "community integration pilot scheme".

Croydon Council – who facilitate borough-wide rubbish collections – even paid £40 to have their own waste collected on one occasion.

Three stays totalling more than £700 were ordered at the four-star Barcelo Majestic in Harrogate, Yorkshire, which describes itself as "charming and elegant and exuding sophistication".

One of these was ordered on behalf of the chief executive's office for "business travel purposes".

Nearly £50 was also spent on 12 boxes of chocolates from Marks & Spencer for the "strategy and performance division", £122 on chocolates, sweets and biscuits from ASDA and £87 on food from Tesco.

A number of other purchases were made to help key council services.

A Croydon Council spokesman said: "The council operates a series of purchase cards to ensure services are able to respond to the needs and demands of our residents in a timely, efficient and effective manner.

"In a number of circumstances these services support the most vulnerable in our community. The purchase cards enable the council to ensure services can be supplied as quickly as possible.

"The cards operate within the council's overall governance arrangements for purchasing supplies and services."

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At the time of going to press, Croydon Council was unable to provide the Croydon Advertiser with a detailed breakdown of what the items purchased had been used for, despite requests.

This morning (Monday), a spokesman provided the breakdown below.

• Nintendo Wii: No cost to council – purchased on behalf of clients at the Beulah Leaning Disability Resource Centre for use in their common room and using their own funds.
• Artificial snow: Christmas event for Club Soda (supporting adults with learning disabilities.) This event is open to the general public and they pay for tickets.
• Rubbish collection: Emergency clearance of a property in a child protection case. Unusual situation meant that a card payment was used to pay our contractor rather than the council’s normal ordering and invoice arrangements.
• Hotel: £700 relates to three individual bookings of a total of seven nights for two people – an average of £50 per person per night.
• Crystal Palace tickets: Assisting a man recovering from addiction to rebuild ties with his children as a means of helping him to return to a normal life.
• Chocolates (£50 for 12 boxes): Small-scale prizes at staff events to recognise special achievement.
• Microwaves: Equipment for kitchens
• Stamps: To allow 4,000 users of the Taxicard scheme to respond to a consultation on proposed changes in charges (in lieu of reply-paid pre-printed envelopes)
• TV and bracket: No cost to council – purchased on behalf of the South London Partnership using their own funds
• Heater: Various items purchased for a range of services on one purchase order (two fan heaters cost just £34.44)
• Tent: Forest Project scout tent for youth service outward bound courses
• Metal detector: substance misuse recovery project – helped a mum who had been an addict for 20 years get onto an archaeology degree course, helped her keep her children from being taken into care