Councils in Kent have spent nearly £150,000 on luxury cars for mayors and chairmen over the last three years.

The figures come from a freedom of information request from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which claims millions could be saved nationally by encouraging local politicians to attend events using their own methods of transport.

Yet councils have hit back, saying the costs are not excessive and that mayors generate publicity for local businesses and raise money for charity.

Many also detailed how they have teamed up with firms in their district to secure free or cheaper leases of cars.

The biggest spender was Kent County Council, which shelled out more than than £29,000 on three cars to ferry its chairman to various events.

Medway Council followed closely behind with a bill of over £27,000 over the period.

The most frugal councils were Ashford, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge and Malling, which do not run mayoral cars.

Of those that did, the smallest spender was Canterbury, which spent £4,477.10 on a Jaguar XJ to carry its mayor.

Dover District Council did not respond to the freedom of information request.

Nationally, nine councils spent taxpayers’ money on personalised number plates, whilst others purchased them many years ago.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are tired of hearing local authorities say they have no money left when there are still instances of excessive spending.

"Some travel will of course be necessary to conduct duties but families who struggle to pay their council tax bill will roll their eyes at the thought of their hard-earned money being spent on Bentleys and Jaguars for politicians to attend functions.

"40% 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."

Folkestone and Hythe District Council spokesman Sarah Smith said the authority does not have a mayor or a mayor’s car but instead mainly uses a Chrysler Voyager it bought in 2009 to primarily transport its chairman to official functions.

"Every penny wasted on excessive travel expenses is money that could be going towards social care or bin collections..." - John O'Connell, Taxpayers' Alliance

She said: "We chose it so that it could have other roles too, and it functions as a general people carrier. It is a civic car, rather than a purely ceremonial one.

"For the job it does, we do not think that costs of under £4,500 a year are excessive."

Mark Green, director of finance and business improvement for Maidstone Borough Council, which ferries its mayor in a Lexus RX, said: “We continually look at ways to work more efficiently to ensure that essential services are protected and resources are best allocated for the benefit of all residents.

“Maintenance costs for our mayoral car were increasing as it was getting near to the end of its useful life. We have therefore worked hard to secure a suitable new car as part of a sponsorship package with a local business - Haynes - in Maidstone.

“This will substantially reduce ongoing maintenance as the car is newer. It will also save the council money as we haven’t needed to buy a new car or pay for ongoing leasing costs.

“The mayor is an important figurehead of the borough and generates a lot of publicity for local businesses through the opening of events and the attendance of important community activities - as well as raising large sums of money for mayoral charities.

"Last year the mayor raised in excess of £100,000 for his chosen charities.”

Tunbridge Wells council's head of policy and governance Jane Clarke said: "Residents can be assured that we are very mindful of the money spent on the mayoral car and we are grateful to Tunbridge Wells Audi who support us in this by providing a car at no cost to the council.

"The figures show that we are spending significantly less than the average.

"We try not to waste money, ever, and we certainly aren’t about to splash out on posh new cars..." - Cllr Jeremy Kite, Dartford Borough Council

"The mayor plays an important role acting as an ambassador for Tunbridge Wells, regularly meeting with local community groups, organisations and charities, large and small, to support and promote their causes and the good work they do for the borough.

"Those who are visited by the mayor are always appreciative of the recognition and support from the council."

Leo Whitlock, spokesman for Canterbury City Council, which has the only Lord Mayor in Kent, along with the Sheriff of Canterbury, said: "Over the three years covered by the Taxpayers' Alliance's figures, our civic team has attended around 1,500 engagements, so it's clear they provide excellent value for money.

"The groups, clubs and organisations whose events the civic team attend are always very appreciative and we receive consistently positive feedback from organisers.

"We are very grateful for the ongoing support of Barretts Jaguar for the free loan of a car every year, which helps to keep our costs down to the small sum that features in the Taxpayers' Alliance research - significantly less than the national average and less than many other councils in Kent.

"As you would expect, we keep a very close eye on such spending to ensure it is not excessive and believe most people would consider £1,500 a year to be an acceptable amount compared to the value the civic team brings to the district."

Dartford Borough Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite said: "I think our car is approaching 15 years old now and in fairness it’s not just used for the mayor.

"It’s available for council business more generally and I use it too.

"Some mayors use it more than others but it’s only ever used for council business.

"Mayors do fulfil an important ceremonial role for the year of their office and I think there’s quite a few events and fundraisers where they are expected to be in civic dress and wearing the chains.

"Some councils do approach things differently and that’s great but perhaps they see higher expenses claims and mileage as a result.

“Over the last three years the mayor and deputy mayor have attended more than 1,100 engagements and meetings with residents, charities and community groups which would not have been possible without the use of two cars...” - Cllr Rupert Turpin, Medway Council

"We try not to waste money, ever, and we certainly aren’t about to splash out on posh new cars.

"I think we’ll end up working our old one till it stops and then think about what we do."

Kent County Council spokesman Murray Evans said its spending on cars was contained in a detailed report to a council committee only last month and is freely available to the public.

He said: "As that report indicates, KCC has not bought any cars for seven years and the overall costs are now only just over a third of what they were 10 years ago.

"The county cars policy, which explains in general terms when and why cars are needed, says:

"County Cars are provided for use primarily by the chairman, vice chairman, leader, deputy leader, leader of the opposition and cabinet members when on official council business, i.e. representing KCC at meetings and events where the member is an official KCC representative, acting in their capacity as a county councillor, undertaking KCC business."

Medway Council’s portfolio holder for business management Cllr Rupert Turpin said: “We lease two cars to ensure the mayor and deputy mayor of Medway are able to carry out important duties and attend separate events to support local initiatives which benefit Medway and its diverse communities.

“Over the last three years the mayor and deputy mayor have attended more than 1,100 engagements and meetings with residents, charities and community groups which would not have been possible without the use of two cars.”

A spokesperson for Gravesham Borough Council said: “The mayor is the first citizen of the borough, which is a highly respected position, and is an important part of the community in Gravesham.

"During the mayoral year they raise lots of money for charity and attend lots of community and charity events.

"The mayor spends a lot of time visiting local schools, care homes and community groups and we often get really lovely letters of thanks saying how much people have enjoyed meeting him or her and what a privilege it was.

"The cost of the mayoral vehicle has reduced year on year and is the most cost effective way of him or her travelling around the borough. ”

Thanet District Council sent a breakdown of its spending over the years, highlighting it spent £3,122 to lease a car each year, and also spent money on petrol and insurance.

Swale Borough Council declined to comment.