It’s petty to begrudge councillors snacks (From Bucks Free Press)

It’s petty to begrudge councillors snacks

12:00am Saturday 28th July 2012 in Your Letters

RE: Last week’s revelations that around £28,000 was spent over a period of three years on snacks, including sandwiches, biscuits and tea, for Wycombe district councillors. Labour group leader Victoria Groulef branded the expense ‘ridiculous’.

WHEN I read all the fuss being made about providing Wycombe’s councillors with sandwiches over the last three years, I really wondered what world Councillor Groulef inhabits. OK, the total sounds horrific but it is over three years and doesn’t seem disproportionate to me. How petty are we becoming when we begrudge people a few biscuits and refreshments when they are working on our behalf.

Looked at another way, isn’t it better for sandwiches to be provided rather than councillors having to waste their time wandering around Wycombe buying their own snacks?

By way of getting this into some sort of perspective, I’ve just checked out my own expense claims for the last year (July to June), incurred on behalf of my company. They included several trips to the USA (economy class) and many stays in budget hotels (Premier Inns and the like) with an evening meal of up to £20. But when I add it all up it comes to a staggering £19,000! Which only goes to show how horrendous these things can be made to seem when aggregated like this.

James Cadle, Fox Lane, Holmer Green