Council bosses and government bureaucrats sent to France for £400,000 taxpayer jolly
EXCLUSIVE: Some councils were sponsored to attend a property jamboree in France, but several used public money to send officials.
The Labour-run Welsh government splashed out tens of thousands of pounds sending an official to an alcohol-soaked property jamboree on the French Riviera, the Daily Express can reveal.
It was among several public bodies who lavished almost £400,000 of taxpayers' cash at the conference in the chic Hollywood haunt of Cannes.
Dozens of government and town hall officials spent three days in the sunshine at the annual MIPIM event in March - at a time when hard-pressed householders across England and Wales braced themselves for steep increases in their council tax bills.
Critics blasted the largesse and said the money should have been spent on essential services instead.
MIPIM is the world's largest property conference, where leaders of the real estate sector including lawyers, agents, bankers and landlords network on a sea of champagne.
Some councils were sponsored to attend, but several used public money to send officials - prompting accusations that they were enjoying a “taxpayer-funded jolly”.
The Department for Business and Trade racked up the largest bill, forking out a staggering £123,389 for 18 officials to attend, according to Freedom of Information requests.
But the biggest cost per attendee came from the Welsh government, who spent £51,046 of taxpayers' cash with just one official attending.
In response to the FoI, conducted by the Taxpayers Alliance, they confirmed the total spend figure, but a spokesperson would only confirm a much smaller amount was spent sending the official.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a total of £814.69 was spent to send an individual member of staff to the MIPIM real estate conference in Cannes, in March, to help showcase investment opportunities in the Cardiff Capital Region worth £15 billion. This cost included all flights, accommodation, and food.”
It comes as new Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething is set to face a motion of no confidence next week.
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Mr Gething, who has only been in post since March, is facing questions over a controversial £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a man convicted of environmental offences.
Attendees at MIPIM are told "Important meets must be done in the morning" because "afternoons can turn to chaos once the Rosé starts to flow, plus many lunches massively overrun."
At least 29 council officials from 12 local authorities jetted out to the French resort town, according to freedom of information requests.
Council officials in previous years have been photographed drinking wine and beer, as well as going for rounds of golf, while delegations from different UK regions have been photographed on the beach.
As well as councils, officials from Historic England, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Newcastle University were also in attendance, meaning 63 public sector officials in total.
Overall, £387,440 of taxpayers money was spent.
Durham County Council splashed out £34,727 for four officials to attend, including £14,333 for them to stay at a 4-star Hilton Hotel.
Homes England shelled out £31,787 on seven attendees while Stockport Council spent £21,846 for 3 officials.
The FOI’s revealed that an attendee representing Northumbria University expensed a glass of champagne while one representing Homes England expensed Kinder Bueno eggs.
The Department for Business and Trade confirmed the figure, indicating that £88,586 was spent on promoting the UK.
It is understood the real estate sector contributes more than £100 billion to our economy each year and directly employs around 1.2 million people.
A spokesperson for Stockport Council said: “We’re making Stockport a borough of opportunity and a place everyone is proud to call home.
“Attendance at property events like MIPIM and UKREiif helps secure strategic investment to regenerate our borough, including the £1 billion town centre investment that is currently transforming Stockport into one of the most exciting towns in the region.”
Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This will be a slap in the face to all the hard-working Brits who struggle to make ends meet.
"As taxpayers were scraping together every penny to pay for the rising tax burden, council bosses and government bureaucrats were off on a foreign jolly on the French Riviera. These insulting indulgences have got to come to an end."
The MIPIM real estate conference is held in Cannes every year with this year’s event taking place from 12-15 March.
It is notorious for its relationship with heavy drinking. One previous attendee said: "I'm not sure my liver could handle a classic MIPIM anymore."
