Provost's posh car replacement has saved Perth and Kinross Council almost £14,000 a year
Provost Xander McDade was keen to have a "more practical and environmentally friendly" vehicle anyone could use
Ditching the swanky civic car has cut the annual travel expenses for the Perth and Kinross Provost by almost £14,000.
Previously the Provost would be driven to events in an Audi A8 but in January 2023 Provost McDade announced plans to switch to a "more practical and environmentally friendly" option.
Now, the Highland Perthshire senior councillor drives himself around or uses a pool car, which anyone in Perth and Kinross Council can use.
In 2024/25 Perth and Kinross Council's 40 councillors (as well as two who resigned) claimed a total of £32,253 in expenses.
Five councillors did not claim a single penny: Andy Chan (Con), Eric Drysdale (SNP), Crawford Reid (who resigned last summer), Caroline Shiers (Con) and Colin Stewart (Ind) who prides himself on having never made an expenses claim as a councillor.
The vast majority - 98 per cent - of councillors' expenses claims were related to travel costs. There were no claims for meals or accommodation. There was just one training/conference claim, for Cllr Peter Barrett who convenes the Perth and Kinross Licensing Board, and the remaining £243 claimed was for telephone and ICT expenses.
But - despite inflation and rising fuel costs - the expenses claimed last year by elected members was less than half what it was six years ago. For the tax year 2018-19, councillors claimed £75,178 in expenses.
Removing the civic car is partly behind the 57 per cent reduction in councillors' expenses from 2019 to 2025.
Provost McDade said: "When I became Provost I wanted to move away from an exclusive car for the Provost to something that could be used by anyone in the council to help save money.
"Because I was driving myself to a lot of events, the previous car was sitting doing nothing a lot of the time which was not a good use of public money. So, we replaced the Audi with the hybrid Ford Transit which is now a pool car and can be used by anyone and is routinely used by schools for example because it has eight seats."
As travel/mileage is, by far, the largest expense it is perhaps no surprise the three Highland Perthshire ward councillors' expenses account for just over a third of the total expenses claimed by elected members in 2024/25.
Provost Xander McDade is one of those three Highland Perthshire councillors. He had the largest expenses bill of £4751.
Provost McDade's claims were all for mileage and - while the largest for 2024/25 - were a 74 per cent reduction from his predecessor Provost Dennis Melloy's £18,529 claim for travel and mileage in 2018/19. Provost Melloy's total expenses claimed in 2018/19 including meals, telephones/ICT costs, etc., were £18,952.
A move towards hybrid meetings has also played a part in reducing mileage claims.
The Independent Highland Perthshire ward councillor said: "Since the introduction of hybrid meetings I have tended to try and do a lot more of the internal meetings online rather than driving the 50-mile round trip each time and this has reduced my own mileage quite a lot, but the Highland ward covers about 43 per cent of the Perth and Kinross landmass so all three Highland ward councillors inevitably have the highest mileage claims as it can take 90 minutes to drive from one side of our ward to the other.
"My mileage is for local ward meetings or to Perth for council meetings, but I also drive myself to quite a lot of local events as Provost so use the pool car less than previous Provosts would have used the civic car."
Another change since Xander McDade was made Provost has been the introduction of Bailies, with one representing each political group in the council. That too, has brought savings.
Provost McDade added: "Since we reintroduced Bailies there has also been a reduction in mileage as I will often send a Bailie to a local event near them if appropriate."
Details of the councillors' expenses are publicly available to see on the Perth and Kinross Council website.
Bailie Alasdair Bailey - vice-convener of PKC's Scrutiny and Performance Committee - believes it is important for councillors to think about how the public purse is being spent but also that councillors are not out of pocket in their service.
The Labour Carse of Gowrie ward councillor said: "The scrutiny that brings to the process keeps us all aware of the fact that when we travel on council business, we're doing so at the expense of the taxpayer.
"However I do want to put on record my strong support for the ability of councillors to claim reimbursement for expenses. We have to remember that if we don't pay people adequately to hold public office, we inevitably end up being ruled by those who can afford to do the role voluntarily which severely limits the range of people and backgrounds we'll see represented on the council."
Independent councillor Colin Stewart - who has pledged not claim a single penny - agreed.
The Strathmore ward councillor said: "I think it's completely appropriate for expenses to be available to ensure access to elected office, particularly for younger candidates, but all councillors should be mindful about keeping their burden on Perth and Kinross residents and taxpayers to the absolute minimum.
"Having not claimed anything in my first term as a councillor, I pledged that I wouldn't claim anything if elected for a second term - and I won't."
A PKC spokesperson said: "Councillors can claim expenses for travel and subsistence costs incurred while carrying out their official duties.
"In the interests of transparency, councils are required to publish information on councillors' salary, allowances and expenses in respect of the previous financial year.'
"All councillors can claim travel and subsistence costs while carrying out their official duties. Elected members in more rural areas will, inevitably, face higher transport costs although it should be noted these have reduced significantly since the coronavirus pandemic. This is because more meetings can be held online and pool vehicles can also be used to reduce costs."
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