EXCLUSIVE

The taxpayer picked up the tab for a
meal hosted by county council chiefs at an exclusive London
restaurant that cost nearly £360, an investigation by the KM Group
has found.

The dinner took place at Rules
restaurant in Covent Garden in the heart of London in January.

It was charged to the chief
executive’s credit card as official council business.

Details of the meal have come to light
following an examination of receipts and expenses charged on county
council credit cards between 2009-2010.

While all the claims were cleared
under the authority’s rules, the previously unpublished details of
the meal are bound to raise eyebrows.

The evening dinner at Rules took place
barely a fortnight after KCC announced its budget and a pay freeze
for thousands of staff.

A claim sheet submitted by former
chief executive Peter Gilroy described it as a "working dinner with
government consultants" to discuss Total Place – a government
initiative encouraging councils and others to cut costs by sharing
assets.

It was attended by Mr Gilroy, council
leader Paul Carter and David Lewis, the council’s head of corporate
property. The two guests were the chairman of the Kent Property
Board, Jonathan Harris and Tim Campbell, of Tim Campbell
Associates.

The group enjoyed a meal that included
foie gras terrine, native oysters, loin of deer, sirloin steak and
a rack of lamb.

Two bottles of wine – one that cost
£39.50 - accompanied the meal. KCC says that the council leader had
since paid £15 towards the costs of the wine.

Our examination of claims has also
uncovered:

• A trip to Edinburgh Film Festival involving an overnight stay in a five-star hotel that cost more than £800

• A business breakfast at Maidstone’s Hilton hotel – barely two miles from County Hall - between the chief constable and chief executive costing £47.85

• A number of other restaurant meals variously described as "working lunches" or "working suppers."

In response to questions we asked
about the claims, KCC said in a statement that there were valid
reasons for all.

Asked why Rules was chosen rather than
somewhere cheaper, or at County Hall, KCC said: "The chairman [of
the property board] has travelled to numerous board meetings in
Kent and on this occasion, central London was chosen as the
appropriate venue."

Discussions at the dinner focused on
"what was needed to be done to unlock value in the public property
both in Kent and across the country".

The visit last July to the Edinburgh
Film Festival by chief executive and deputy county council leader
Alex King was to celebrate the nomination of a film "The Calling"
for an award.

KCC contributed £75,000 to the
film.

The pair stayed overnight at the
five-star Sheraton Hotel at a cost of £270 while flights with BA
cost £438.

KCC said: "They attended because,
in light of the award, it was considered important to launch the
Film Development Fund at such a prestigious event, maximising
Kent’s profile to the filming industry."

Cheaper flights were considered but
"availability and timings proved difficult" because of other
commitments.

The Sheraton Hotel was booked as
"it was the closest to the other venues visited and limited the
cost of travelling".

Asked why the chief executive and
chief constable met for breakfast at a hotel, the council said:
"This was an early meeting at 7.30am.

"The venue was chosen as somewhere
that would enable the Chief Constable to get straight on the
motorway to get to his next appointment."

The pair, along with Tanya Oliver,
KCC’s director of public access, discussed the KCC film bill and
various child protection issues in Thanet.

Speaking today, council leader Paul Carter said: "The costs
came out at about £40 or £50 a head.

"We could have booked a business room and held a meeting and
probably spent more than we did.

"The two guests had done an enormous amount of work for the
county council free of charge and occasionally it is appropriate to
reward people who have given their time freely."

He went on to say that he had paid for all the wine out of his
own pocket, although that appeared to contradict a statement
provided by KCC said he had contributed £15 of the drinks bill.

Opposition Liberal Democrat spokesman Cllr Tim Prater said: "I
am almost speechless.

"Quite what the purpose of this dinner was, I do not know.

"I do not think there can be any justification for a meal that
cost £360 and was charged to the taxpayer.

"It's not as if central London is short of cheaper places to
eat.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions, not least what rules
KCC has to ensure that when credit cards are used, we get the best
value for money."

To see Rules' menu click here