Opposition councillors accused Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman of “obscene” spending plans at last night’s budget meeting.
Forwarding the Conservative Group’s alternative budget, Cllr David Snowdon said the proposals were “fiscally negligent” and accused Mayor Rahman of wasting money on “propaganda and vanity offices”.
“There is one simple word for the Mayor’s obscene spending: ‘wrong’”, he said.
“Council tax funds do not exist to pay for propaganda and vanity offices. It exists to provide services to local residents and local council tax payers.”
Cllr Snowden went on to attack the Mayor for spending £70 per day on a hired chauffeur-driven Mercedes.
“One element of spending I am proposing is £1,424 to buy the Mayor a zones 1-3 travel card, so that he can travel in the same manner as most Londoners”, he added.
Conservative councillors voted with Labour members for an amended version of the budget.
The amendment will be considered by Mayor Rahman this week, before both his original budget and the amended version are voted on at an emergency meeting next week.
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