THE mayor's car costs Darlington Borough Council almost £10,000 a year, figures show.

The Mercedes Benz E220, which is used to take the Mayor to and from public events, is leased for £6,488.30p a year. Insurance is £1,251, and road tax is £160.

In the past mayoral year, May 2005 to May 2006, fuel was £996.96p, and maintenance was £344.96p.

The car's driver is the mayoral support officer, David Allaway, who also manages the administration of the mayor's office.

A council spokesman said: "The car is leased from ILC Leasing which is a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

"The process went to tender and, in addition to offering best value, the car was chosen because it came out best when compared with similar vehicles for CO2 emissions and residual value."

This year's mayor, Councillor Eleanor Lister, lives only 250 metres from High Row.

The spokesman said: "The mayor is quite green-minded and so walks to town centre events nine times out of ten.

"She will use the car if it is raining, or if she needs to get dressed up in her chains. Also, when she visits a school the children like to see the mayor arrive in the car."

The car is also available for use by councillors when not being used by the mayor.