The venue was the Hotel Fairmont St Andrews.







Photographs courtesy of the hotel Fairmonts web site.

Cost claimed £544 per person.

One night, arriving on 11/10/18 and leaving on 12/10/18

Morning tea/coffee and refreshments both days and a Pre-Dinner Reception
7.15pm Dinner Atrium
9.00pm COSLA Excellence Awards Ceremony

Link to the COSlA conference itinery



Very well done to all the winners.

Three councillors at a cost of £544 each. (As per the FOI material)

However when we examined the COSLA material in relation to the conference they are saying that the cost would be £399 plus VAT for the overnight stay, food, refreshments, access to the conference and all the activities of the awards ceremony. (Pre-Dinner Reception and Dinner Atrium)

= £478.80

Why is the claim £544? (Apparently as all three stayed an extra night)

When we look at Barbara Grants claim she has also submitted a 'green form' which is required for travelling and subsistence claims in respect of conferences.

Cllr Grant claimed £111.35 for using her car and that included £20 subsistence.

However the form indicates that she left home at 1pm on the 10/10/18 to undertake the 1 1/2 hour drive in order to be at the hotel for the commencement of the conference at 9.30 am on the 11th.

COSLA advised that anyone staying overnight the evening before would be charged £145 plus VAT = £174.

More than the £544.

The questions that arise are Cllrs Buchanan and O'Kane never claimed mileage? (Did they car share - which would be great)

Why has Cllr Grants claim show a higher mileage that that shown for the journey by AA mileage app?

Why did Cllr Grant require to leave her home at lunch time (1pm), could she not have left after her tea (6pm), therefore not requiring to claim £20 for food?

Did it actually require THREE cllrs to attend this conference?

Why did Cllr Grant not use one of the fleet of Electric Cars that ERC have, cost nothing and are always available?

Did the residents of East Ren really require to foot the £1743.35 bill for three Cllrs to go to the ball?

Last year the Evening Times ran an article that highlighted Cllr Grants expenses and brought out her COSLA conference charges.

At that time she said "Barbara Grant said: “There were two COSLA conferences that I attended. It’s not just one day, it’s two nights. One of those conferences took place in the previous year but they didn’t have it included in that year’s expenses"

Link to the Evening Times article