Outrage over BCP Council plans to spend £90,000 on new cars for mayors

THE former leader of BCP Council has said she is “absolutely mortified” at cabinet plans to spend £90,000 on two new cars for its mayors.

Councillor Vikki Slade criticised the cost – included in the council’s long-term fleet management plan – saying it was “totally unacceptable”, writes Josh Wright, of the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“I was absolutely mortified see in the proposal two new mayoral cars,” said Cllr Slade. “It’s totally unacceptable to me that we’re looking to buy two new cars when we have a fleet of cars that we could be using.”

She called for the cabinet to “rethink” the idea and was backed by the new mayor of Bournemouth, councillor Dave Kelsey, who said new vehicles were not yet needed and instead called for existing ones to be shared between mayors.

Despite her view being supported by the current mayor of Bournemouth, the decision has been defended by the cabinet member for environment, councillor Mark Anderson, who said the new vehicles were needed.

The fleet management plan will be considered by the council’s cabinet next week, and includes details of the expansion of the trial of the use of treated vegetable oil to power its bin lorries and its electric vehicle provision.

The council has more than 600 vehicles, a fleet, its cabinet member for transport councillor Mike Greene said, was “large and very thirsty”, using a combined 1.3-million litres of fuel each year.

Just 13 of these vehicles are electric, a figure Cllr Greene acknowledged needed to increase.

A decision on the allocation will be made by the cabinet next week.