Uncovering how councils are spending your money
Joined January 2026
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6 Photos and videos
š NEW: Hyndburn Borough Council spent Ā£2,054 on DRUG TESTS & MOUTHPIECES' in MAY!
Let's hope this is unrelated to the Ā£300 brownies purchased for a 'Business Networking Event' in April š³
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š NEW: Hyndburn Borough Council spent Ā£7,200 on 'CADDY FOOD WASTE PROJECT - VIDEOS'!
Council social media suggests around 11 short videos were produced (29-105 seconds each), totalling 7 minutes 15 seconds of content.
For that price, I'd expect a cameo from Tom Cruise.
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Ā£7,200 for 11 videosā¦ finally, a binge-watch series nobody asked for.
@sarahsmithlab
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How They Spend It retweeted
Oxford City Council when it comes to pothole repairs š«£
x.com/howtheyspendit/status/ā¦
A taxi company based in Oxford City Centre spent Ā£25k on car repairs in April alone.
Ā£240,000 has been spent on wear and tear repairs due to potholes according to the manager of 001 Taxis.
oxfordmail.co.uk/news/261307ā¦
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š NEW: Oxford City Council granted charity 'ASYLUM WELCOME' Ā£97k between Jan-Mar ā26!
The charity offers 'befriending services' to foreign prisoners at HMP Huntercombe before potential deportation, plus wider asylum support.
Council spend was Ā£534k in ā25, up 60% from ā24.
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Oxford City Council when it comes to pothole repairs š«£
x.com/howtheyspendit/status/ā¦
A taxi company based in Oxford City Centre spent Ā£25k on car repairs in April alone.
Ā£240,000 has been spent on wear and tear repairs due to potholes according to the manager of 001 Taxis.
oxfordmail.co.uk/news/261307ā¦
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š NEW: South Norfolk Council approves Ā£250,000 for a legal challenge over local government reorganisation.
That's a quarter of a million on lawyers, while councils continue to warn that budgets are under pressure.
Almost as much as the Chief Exec's cost last year...
[@EDP24]
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š Stoke-on-Trent Council has spent Ā£272k REFURBISHING ONE OFFICE FLOOR and Ā£82k on NEW FURNITURE - despite needing Ā£60m in bailout loans.
Opposition councillors say itās poor value.
The council says itās āmodern standardsā.
Taxpayers can decide which it is.
[@stokenubnews]
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š NEW: FOI data shows one Newhaven printer produced just 7 PRINTS in 3 MONTHS.
The council pays Ā£2,633 per quarter for 9 devices - about Ā£292 each. So thatās Ā£292 for 7 prints.
With several printers already on site, itās hard to justify keeping it. Looks like an easy saving.
š NEW: Lewes and Eastbourne Councils have spent Ā£64,700 on RENTING PHOTOCOPIERS this year!
Do councils consider if it's cheaper to purchase vs rent?
ā¹ļø Raising FOI request to see if they're actually used and any additional charges.
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š UPDATE: Cause of Ā£38.6k JCB damage!
"The two payments in question were related to fuel contamination. It is suspected, that water and debris entered the external fuel tank on site, which was used to fill the telehandler causing subsequent damage."
ā¹ļø West Devon Council FOI
šNEW: West Devon Council spent Ā£38,644 on damage to HIRED JCB equipment!
In Jan, two payments were recorded: Ā£19,751 for 'fuel contamination' and Ā£18,892 for 'damages' relating to a JCB 542-70.
Some machines clock hours. This one clocked a Ā£38,644 invoice
ā¹ļø FOI for details
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š NEW: Essex County Council refused to release software licence and usage data!
Stating it was āalready availableā on the Domiciliary Care Hub site, I checked - it has nothing to do with IT systems or licences, just adult social care providers.
ā”ļøChallenging FOI
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š UPDATE: The Ā£1.5m of āOTHER MISCELLANEOUSā payments to district and borough councils in March has now been explained.
They were advance payments for running the May 2026 Essex County Council elections - covering staffing, venues, printing, and other pollingāday costs.
š NEW: Essex County Council paid over Ā£1.5 MILLION to district and borough councils in March - all labelled as āOTHER MISCELLANEOUSā.
Payments:
Tendring - Ā£261k
Braintree - Ā£222k
Uttlesford - Ā£150k
Chelmsford - Ā£150k
What exactly was this money for?
FOI request being prepared.
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