A COUNCIL has been criticised for funding flights to the continent “for people to watch shows”.

Conservative Matt Vickers hit out at Stockton Council spending in a fierce budget debate. The member for Hartburn said: “You’re spending hundreds of thousands of pounds extra on SIRF (Stockton International Riverside Festival) and even expect taxpayers to fund trips abroad for people to watch shows.

“This year, our international talent scout has been to Copenhagen and Montpellier all on trips funded by the taxpayer. I think it’s wrong and it’s time this council realised the money it spends doesn’t grow on trees.”

The flights in question were to Copenhagen and Montpellier in 2017 and cost £850.

The Northern Echo:

Cllr Norma Wilburn, cabinet member for culture and leisure, said a number of the flights had been reimbursed externally. “It’s a minimal number of flights – three or four,” she added. “And at least one has been reimbursed by a conference organiser. We’re not dashing off to the continent all the time – it’s a handful of flights.”

Stockton Council spent £6,915 on 14 European trips between 2015 and February 2018, according to  the TaxPayers’ Alliance pressure group. However, the bulk of these flights were social care related.

The concerns came as members voted in favour of a 2.9% council tax rise.

Cllr Vickers railed against spending on SIRF – with a motion to take £240,000 from the summer festival and put it into the council’s youth service.

He said: “After all the talk about reduction in funding, we’ve managed to find £240,000 extra for SIRF since 2015 – we’ve cut the youth service by a third.”

The Tory leader said the youth service and staff within it were “priceless” and “much more valuable than SIRF”.

“It’s simples – there it is,” he added.

But Cllr Wilburn accused him of being “small-minded” and his plan of being “ill-thought out”. She added: “The vast majority think SIRF is a good use of council resources – we get £1m in expenditure from visitors to it. It’s a family event where we’re on a national and international stage.

"We’re preparing our bid for City of Culture in 2025 – this is not the time to be cutting one of our major pipes for the redevelopment of leisure and culture.” Labour councillors lined up to slam the motion. It was defeated 38 votes to 12.