Charity Ball raised £5 for good causes, £34 for the council

5:12pm Sunday 21st March 2010

By Neil Macfarlane

A COUNCIL which was criticised for the amount of money raised at its annual charity ball has been further embarrassed after it emerged that neighbouring authorities collected up to five times as much.

306 guests paid £50 a ticket for Darlington Borough Council's showpiece fundraiser in October, but only £1,662 was collected for charity - or £5.43 a head.

£34 a head went back into council coffers to cover in-house catering and the hire of the Dolphin Centre.

Councillors labelled the sum "extremely disappointing" and called for the annual Mayor's Charity Ball to be revamped to make sure more good causes benefit in future.

A survey of unitary councils across the North-East conducted by The Northern Echo has discovered that Darlington's takings fall way below those at comparable authorities.

Although a number have cancelled the event and now raise money for charity through other means, another four councils still hold them.

Last year, 230 guests paid 50 a ticket and raised £5,950 at Stockton Borough Councils ball. The figure equates to £25.86 a head - nearly five times more than Darlington.

Sunderland raised £8,787.64 after 538 guests paid £40 to attend. The sum works out at £16.33 a head.

At Redcar and Cleveland 200 guests at £35 a ticket raised £3,300 - or £16.50 a head.

Labour and Conservative councillors at Darlington have called for a review to make sure charities benefit more.

Tory Coun Charles Johnson said: "We all agree that the way the ball is organised does need to be looked at again.

"The charitable return has not been very good. Some councils raise more than £25 a head for charity, which is excellent."

He said costs could be cut by moving the event to a different venue. Catering and hire of the Dolphin Centre cost £10,404.

Labour Coun Ian Haszeldine, said: "It really needs looking at to ensure that the ball is and remains a charitable function.

"There are businesses out there who are willing to do such events. The council should ensure that we can maximise the benefit of the ball.

"It is a spectacular event, and it is part of Darlington's culture. It would be diabolical if it didn't exist. It's a great occasion for everybody."