FI16526

Request

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I am writing to request the following information relating to travel expenses incurred by the council during the municipal year 2024/25 (or most recent full year for which data are available).
Please provide:

  1. The total amount spent by the council on travel expenses for council officers and staff (e.g. reimbursements, travel-related costs such as train/bus fares, parking fees/permits, taxi fares, mileage, etc.).
  2. The total amount spent on travel expenses for councillors (non-Mayoral), including a breakdown by purpose (e.g. attending meetings, courses/conferences, panel meetings, external obligations).
  3. If possible, a summary or itemised breakdown (by category or type) of the travel expenses — e.g. staff vs councillors vs mayor; domestic vs international travel; transport type (train, bus, car/taxi, parking, etc.).
  4. Copies of any policy documents (or the section of the Council’s travel/expenses policy) that govern reimbursements for travel by staff, councillors.
  5. If available, a log (or summary) of all trips abroad or outside the Borough that were paid for or reimbursed by the Council in 2024/25 — including date, destination, purpose (e.g. official, civic, conference) and cost.

Response

1. Expenses claimed through Payroll are as follows: 

Element

Amount

Expenses - Accommodation

£200.00

Expenses - Parking Fees

£615.59

Expenses - Travel/Fares

£2,917.79

Mileage

£59,307.70

 In addition, some expenses may have been claimed via Government Procurement Cards and this information is available on the Council’s website at https://www.dover.gov.uk/Corporate-Information/Financial-Information/GPC/GPC-Transactions.aspx.

2. As follows:

Meetings (including committee meetings, briefings, meetings with officers)

£2,033.03

Conferences

£18.90

Outside Bodies

£9.00

Other (eg civic events, attending presentations, attending interviews, Portfolio Holder responsibilities, attending workshops

£819.88

3. A breakdown is not held for the travel expenses that have been claimed by staff as this information is not specifically recorded.  The overall breakdown for Members (Councillors) is as follows: 

Car Mileage

£2,621.51

Train/Underground

£213.40

Bus

£11.00

Parking

£34.90

4. These are attached for staff.  Claims by Members (Councillors) are done in accordance with the Members’ Allowances Scheme which can be found in Part 6 of the Constitution which is available online at https://www.dover.gov.uk/Corporate-Information/PDF/Constitution-2025-Issue-27-FINAL.pdf

5. The Council does not record this information. 

Attachments

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