Council asked to curtail first-class train use
BBCA local authority under fire for its widespread use of first-class train travel is to be asked to approve plans to curtail the practice.
In February, the BBC reported South Tyneside was the only local authority in the north-east of England to pay for its members to use first-class trains.
An audit report published in March revealed first-class travel had been used on more than 50 occasions by councillors over the previous financial year at a total cost of more than £10,000, while standard class had only been used six times.
On Thursday a committee agreed the council should no longer routinely pay for first class tickets, but the decision still needs to be approved at a meeting on 19 May.
The council's constitution committee recommended a change to compel councillors to choose the cheapest rail fare to travel.
This means first-class rail tickets would only be permitted if they were the cheapest option, or if a councillor paid the difference in fares themselves.
But it will not come into effect unless approved at the annual meeting in May.
Green councillor Rachael Taylor previously called the use of the upgraded tickets "out of touch".
Expense claims for the first-class tickets, previously seen by the BBC, showed some of the reasons councillors used to claim the upgraded tickets.
In one November 2024 claim, the council's Labour leader Tracey Dixon sought to buy first-class return tickets between Newcastle and London for a Local Government Association meeting.
She said that as first-class seats had more space, they would give her "extra confidentiality when taking calls" and working online.
A council worker processing the claim rejected this reason and said confidential calls should not be made where they could be "overheard", however the £209.54 first-class ticket was still purchased.