How Canterbury City Council could spend less

During the current cost of living crisis, it is important to most that they spend their money wisely so they can afford essentials – but is the Canterbury City Council doing the same?

The city council are obliged to share the amount they spend each year publicly, just like any other council, but how do they spend it?

Looking at the council’s credit card spending reveals areas that they could almost certainly cut back on.

Hotel Chocolat is notoriously one of the most expensive chocolate brands in the UK, and also the City Council’s choice, spending almost £55 on chocolates in December.

This raises the question of whether they should buy luxury chocolates, or swap them out for a cheaper brand so more money can go towards desperate causes.

This was not just a one-time purchase, but it had occurred on multiple occasions, with over £150 spent just last year, with a purchase of Domino’s pizza the year before.

Looking at the graph below you can see the overall spending of Canterbury City Council last year.

This spending includes everything from credit card purchases to funding projects. In March, the council spent the most money with over £10 million.

Compared to the overall spend, these purchases seem very little relatively, but they could be put towards feeding many homeless people for a night.

What do you think? Is this spending fine as there are only a few purchases of luxury items, or should the council always opt for the cheapest when it comes to catering options?