Essex Tories US Junket

David Brown, writing in The Times, has reported that the Conservative leader of Essex County Council, Lord Hanningfield, led 'eight fellow politicians and five senior members of staff' on a £62,000 transatlantic trip to Jamestown, Virginia, in order to join celebrations of the 400th anniversary of English settlement.

The group flew business class, spent more than £7,000 on accommodation during the six-day trip and £4,573 on hospitality.

On returning to Britain they announced that the trip had boosted business in the county by introducing two companies to each other – both of which are actually based in Essex.

A freedom of information request has shown that costs of the trip increased by over £40,000 after their business-class flights with MAXjet were cancelled. Rearranged outward flights incurred a further £25,640, return flights £13,829 more and an extra £2,467 was then needed for accommodation.

The visit was intended to cost less than £25,000, but the final bill came to nearly £62,000, according to figures obtained by the Echo in Basildon. The Tory-controlled county council said that it has since recovered the additional costs.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This is a gross waste of taxpayers’ money. Essex residents pay their taxes for frontline services, but while those services struggle senior politicians seem happy to swan off abroad.

“This junket is of minimal importance compared with sweeping the streets, policing the county and providing care for the vulnerable. Councillors should stop and think before going to every event they are invited to and expecting the taxpayer to pick up the tab.”

Paul Kirkman, the Labour group leader, who was on the trip, insisted that the journey was worthwhile. “We need to forge appropriate links across the world. I was working out there representing the people of Essex,” he told the Echo. “If we can introduce businesses to one another across the Atlantic then it is worthwhile.”

Lord Hanningfield claimed that “The county council wanted to use the interest generated by the Jamestown anniversary to create trade and business links between Essex and Virginia. We also wanted to encourage more American tourists to explore their Essex heritage.”

The council has said that the trip helped to introduce Shergroup, a legal and financial services group, to the telecommunications company MultipartyTalk, which have since entered a business deal. Shergroup is based in Braintree and MultipartyTalk 15 miles away in Colchester.

Summary of Costs:
£24,860 Planned cost of trip.
£61,950 Actual cost.
£4,425 Cost per head (9 councillors and 5 council staff)
Achieved objective: the introduction of two Essex businesses to each other. Perhaps Mr Kirkman should have noted that a preferred outcome would have been to effect the introduction between businesses on opposite sides of the pond.