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The spending by the leftwing administration, which has imposed the highest council tax in England on local residents, came up in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. The council’s Green leaders had set a target making Brighton and Hove car free by 2030 and have urged residents to switch to public transport. The Greens, who took power in 2020, agreed spending of £22,000 in the 2020/2021 financial year and £17,000 between April 2021 and December 2021 on the chauffeur and fue for the car which is a petrol hybrid.
The council also expensed over £800 on taxis for senior council staff during the pandemic.
It follows the Green’s council leader Mac Cafferty being criticised for taking a plane from London to Glasgow to attend COP26 – the same day as Green Brighton MP Caroline Lucas praised France for banning short-haul domestic flights.
However, a spokesman for the council defended the spending and insisted that the Mayoral spending was agreed by all parties.
The spokesman said: “Our mayoralty is deliberately a non-political office.
“The mayor is the first citizen of Brighton & Hove and undertakes an important ceremonial role in and outside the city.
“Our mayor and deputy mayor are elected councillors. They are elected into their roles by fellow councillors.
“Our current mayor is a Labour councillor, and our deputy mayor is a Conservative councillor.
“Their roles are politically neutral when carrying out their mayoral duties.
“The costs of running the mayor’s office and the mayoral car are not determined on a party-political basis.
“They are agreed by all councillors at a meeting of our full council.”
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