Lord Mayor of York’s car costs taxpayers £39k, says campaign group

Figures obtained by the TaxPayers’ Alliance found City of York Council spent £39,242.51 on leasing, fuelling and maintaining the Volvo Nilsson Limousine used by successive Lord Mayors since 2015.

This was above the national average spent on cars for mayors, of £21,804. And the bill does not include the cost of a driver or of the personalised DN1 numberplate, which was a gift to the city.

Chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, John O’Connell, said residents are “tired” of “excessive” local authority spending when they are being told that councils have run out of money and amid council tax increases. Council tax on a Band D house in York has increased by more than £107 since 2016, from £1,483.39 in 2016/17 to £1,590.40 for 2018/19.

Mr O’Connell said: “Taxpayers are tired of hearing local authorities say they have no money left when there are still instances of excessive spending. Forty per cent of councils didn’t lease or buy cars, so all other local authorities should follow that example and encourage civic leaders to use cheaper forms of transport. Every penny wasted on excessive travel expenses is money that could be going towards social care or bin collections.”

Nationally, the organisation said councils spent £4.5 million on cars for mayors. And in Yorkshire and the Humber the spend varied widely.

Hull City Council spent £94,471 on a Jaguar XJ and Citroen C4 for its civic representatives, while Leeds City Council spent £14,027.79 on a Jaguar XJ Portfolio V6. But other local authorities, including Scarborough Borough Council and Ryedale District Council, spent none of their budgets on a car for their mayors.

A spokesperson for City of York Council said: “These figures cover the annual lease of the vehicle, its fuel and any repairs that are needed.

“The costs are covered as part of the civic office’s budget and it is important that the civic vehicle befits the status of the role of the Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of York.”