Rotherham Politics brings you the fruits of the labour of our ‘eagle eyed’ source:
Further to your e-mail of 3 August 2012, please find attached details of train journeys taken by elected members paid for directly by the Council during the 2011/12 financial year extracted from the Council’s procurement system. Download MS Spreadsheet here.
In addition to train journeys, we have run an enquiry to identify air fares and any other travel costs involving elected members. These are summarised below:
TTL546332 Wizzair
£647.92
Doncaster to Katowice 30th September
Cllr Shaun Wright (plus 3 others – non members)
TTL547952 Eurotunnel
£298
Mayor plus 4 others
TTL549585 Wizzair
£485.94
Doncaster to Poland
Cllr Gerald Smith – plus 2 other non members
Yours sincerely,
Simon
Simon Tompkins
Finance Manager
Accountancy and Treasury Services
Resources Directorate
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Riverside House
Main Street
Rotherham S60 1AE
Readers may wish to refer to: The Annual Greed Parade!
Rotherham Politics 
It’s not that long ago when all Elected Members travelled First Class, well done Don Buxton and all those tenacious campaigners for keeping that bright light of scrutiny on this lot of trough feeders.
Looking at the spreadsheet you can see that some Members are still unable to get up at stupid O clock in the morning to catch the first train out and manage to catch the last train back to avoid an overnight stay in a plush £300/night central London hotel.
As Orwell said, “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”.
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Looks like RMBC provides a free Travel Agency for the privileged few.
Funny that this does not appear on the Annual Statement of Allowances and Expenses?
Are we having the straw pulled over our eyes?
Anyone else smell a comrade rat?
Remember comrades, “Four legs good, two legs bad.”
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Thanks Snowball for your first comment. Take it you have also read Animal Farm? George Orwell’s masterpiece should be read alongside Machiavelli’s The Prince, as instructive for those engaged in the exercise of political power.
Jahangir, please take note, we will be asking questions later.
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“He who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation” chapter 15
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Well done! Perhaps you might like to explain this ‘off balance sheet’ travel too?
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I don’t know what that has to with it, except it is first on the Machiavellian quotes website, but try this
“First to thine own self be true, and it shall follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man”
Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3 Laertes advice to his son
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I always thought that Anglo-Polish relationships were good, so why anyone would let Cllr Gerald Smith visit the country in an official capacity is beyond me.
And why the number of Officers going along for the junket?
Could it be that Cllr Gerald Smith and Cllr Shaun Wright are not to be trusted to be let out on their own, given their track record on public relations and child protection matters I would not them out of the house alone.
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Usual time wasting, cost incurring rubbish, only to be expected from this lot. There’s plenty of Poles over here, many with a better standard of English than RMBC councillors. who no doubt would have happily informed them of anything they need to know. Can somebody please explain why they feel they need to swan off all over the country council-tax payers expense. You could understand it if Rotherham was the best run authority in Britain.
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One is forced to conclude some manipulation is going on. These are not the full costs by any means. For example, the Mayor obviously took a car? How much did this trip really cost us? We should be told!
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