The Lord Mayor of Swansea’s vehicle has been sold after accruing more than £ 8, 000 in servicing and upkeep fees in less than two years.
Council chiefs had opted to buy the previous automobile—a Volkswagen Phaeton—after leasing it between 2011 and 2017. Officials insisted the acquisition became the most value-powerful option after the rent ended.
Swansea Council, which had been paying £ 800 in line with the year to lease the car, bought it for £nine 1/2, except VAT, in December 2017.
However, previously protected via the hire, servicing and upkeep prices have mushroomed in recent months.
Between April 1 and August 31 this year, those fees reached £ 4,561, bringing the overall cost to £8,427 when considering the purchase.
That brought about the authority to promote the VW, which went for £four seven hundred at public sale.
The Lord Mayor of Swansea has long used a reliable vehicle funded by the taxpayer.
The car, which comes with a motive force, can most effectively be used for legitimate commercial enterprise—it isn’t for private use.
Officers have previously stated that the Mayor needs access to a car because they are frequently on the circulate, attending capabilities, helping to sell appropriate causes, and attending to civic features.
The contemporary Mayor Peter Black – a former Liberal Democrat AM – and his spouse Angela are helping the charities Unity in Diversity, Crisis, and Llys Nini as part of the Lord Mayor’s charity fund this 12 months.
The council
showed that shopping for the VW Phaeton in 2017 was the best choice.
It added: “However, inside the past year, the upkeep costs of the car have elevated because of its age and mileage.
“Consequently, the car has been sold, and a hire automobile is being used inside the period in-between while the council reveals a replacement to comply with the council’s green fleet coverage.”
This method is a longer-term replacement, maybe a hybrid or electric automobile.
The figures for the value of going for walks in the civic car, which follows a Freedom of Information request by using the Local Democracy Reporter Service, do now not encompass the driver’s income.
