Councils Splurge £1m on Junkets

THE resort is best known for hosting Hollywood stars, but last March the high rollers in Cannes were of an altogether different ilk.

Among the luxury yachts in the harbour was Powder-monkey, a 100ft vessel with five en-suite cabins used by council officials from Nottingham attending Mipim, one of the world’s biggest property conventions. The 10-man delegation, led by Michael Frater, chief executive of Nottingham city council, had splashed out £20,000 of public money in order to entertain potential investors.

Moored nearby was Sunliner X, an even bigger yacht boasting four state rooms, which had been rented by delegates from Liverpool. The city council and local quangos had spent almost £150,000 on sending staff to the French Riviera, ostensibly to drum up trade over three days
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The trips are among a long list of overseas junkets uncovered by The Sunday Times on which councils have lavished more than £1m of taxpayers’ money over the past two years.

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