Civil servants run up £170,000 bill as they enjoy ‘boozy’ work trip on French Riveria… as UK households brace for steep council tax rises

Senior civil servants spent tens of thousands of pounds sending staff to a ‘boozy’ property event in the south of France, the Daily Mail has revealed.

Dozens of officials spent three days in the sun at the annual Mipim real estate conference in Cannes in March.

A total of more than £170,000 of taxpayers’ money was spent on sending more than 60 civil servants and council officials to the party known for alcohol-fueled networking.

At the same time, homeowners in the UK braced themselves for steep council tax increases as part of what became known as ‘April Terrible’.

Callum McGoldrick, research campaign manager at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said last night: ‘The local government’s annual party on the French Riviera is becoming more humiliating with each passing year.

‘As residents battle a long, tough winter, council staff are celebrating their near-universal failure to deliver on council tax bills in the south of France.

‘Councils urgently need to stop these drinking parties.’

Mipim is the world’s largest real estate community where lawyers, agents, bankers, developers and homeowners network across a sea of ​​champagne.

A past participant joked that ‘important meetings should be held in the morning’ because ‘afternoons can turn into chaos when the roses start flowing’.

Another past participant said: ‘I’m not sure my liver can handle a classic Mipim anymore.’

The Department of Business and Trade spent nearly £78,000 to send ten tangerines to the event, according to data obtained from Freedom of Information requests made by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

Homes England, a Housing department quango, footed a bill of £30,689 for eight staff to attend.

The most expensive bill per head was incurred by Bury Council, which spent more than £12,000 on one official’s travel; This suggests that they may have traveled business class.

Salford City Council spent £11,690 on four officers, while Newcastle City Council spent £10,000 on four staff. Belfast City Council spent £8,206 on five staff.

Manchester City Council billed hotels £7,376.52 for six staff, while Wigan Council billed £5,760 for two staff.

A participant from Liverpool City Council declared expenses for soya milk, and a participant from Manchester City Council declared expenses for bread and goats cheese with honey.

Homes England said the event was a ‘showcase’ for investment in the UK, while the Department for Business said the cost to taxpayers was less than under the previous government.

Newcastle City Council said inclusion was vital to ‘competing’ with other cities. Bury Council said the party had helped attract regeneration and jobs.

Manchester City Council said attendance costs were the ‘cheapest’ available at the time of booking, with some costs associated with a contribution to a marketing partnership for Greater Manchester.