Ealing Council used a work payment card for a £175 bill at Majestic Wine, however the local authority insists it has been paid back.

In data obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) via a Freedom of Information request, a number of payments of note were made over a 13-month period using council payment cards, including hotel stays for a conference, a debt collection agency and flights for looked-after children.

In total, the payments show almost £1,000 was spent by Ealing Council on flights and hotels though all were legitimate uses of public funds connected to council business, the authority says.

On November 25, 2025, the £175 Majestic Wine spend was logged, temporarily charging the public purse. Ealing Council says that wine payment related to an event that was fully funded through external sponsorship. The council explained that the supplier required payment by card, and the council card was used and the cost was then reimbursed from the sponsorship funding – there was therefore no cost to the council taxpayer.

There were a number of questions raised by the LDRS, including why the council appears to have covered penalty charges for employees – particularly when residents are forced to pay out of pocket. However, the council was unable to provide a response to some of the specific transactions as the staff members "required to assist with those enquiries are currently on annual leave".

Between April 2025 and April 2026, Ealing Council paid £202 to a debt recovery company and £75 to itself. It is unclear why the council paid itself as no clear response was given to this transaction query, nor why it paid a debt collection agency.

Over £430 was also spent on two flights in August 2025 with British Airways and Aer Lingus. The council says this was covered by the public purse in line with statutory obligations to looked-after children, though no further detail was given.

Two payments of £440 were made to Hotel Collingwood, a three-star hotel near the Bournemouth seafront, offering a heated indoor pool, hot tub and billiards. The local authority says this related to attendance at the three-day National Children and Adult Services Conference in November 2025 by a senior council officer and and Cllr Polly Knewstub, Cabinet Member for Healthy Equal Lives.

In addition, a separate payment was made for the conference itself. Tickets for the 2026 conference are set to cost £525.

Reacting to the findings, Anne Strickland, researcher at the TaxPayers' Alliance, told the LDRS that councils must tighten spending. She said: "With household budgets stretched to the limit and council tax going up year after year, the bar for justifying expenditure has never been higher for local authorities.

"Taxpayers deserve complete confidence that public money is spent with maximum prudence, and that every corporate card transaction delivers clear, undeniable value for money. Councils up and down the country should look to tighten up on spending to pass savings on to taxpayers."

A spokesperson for Ealing Council said: "Use of a corporate credit card is limited to authorised users only for a range of costs that arise when delivering council services, particularly where payment by card is required. Cards must only be used by authorised officers in accordance with procedures issued by the Section 151 Officer, and officers are expected to spend public money carefully, secure value for money and follow the council's rules on expenses and purchasing as outlined in the council's financial regulations.

"All spending must be for council business, supported by appropriate records and is subject to management checks. We take the use of public money very seriously.

"The council also has clear rules on travel and accommodation. Travel should only be booked where it is needed for council business and flights must be approved in advance by a senior officer. The policy is clear that air travel should only be used where there is a genuine business need and other options have been considered.

"The council's expenses policy makes clear that staff are responsible for any parking fines or penalty charge notices they receive personally. However, in a small number of cases, charges can arise involving council vehicles being used to deliver services. Where this happens, the circumstances are reviewed and any decision is made on a case-by-case basis."

Whilst examining Ealing Council spending, the LDRS discovered that the council had not published its spending over £250 since November 2025 – meaning there is no publicly accessible record of council payments.

When asked why it had not published the records, the council said it is scheduled for publication before the end of the month. The spokesperson added: "As with all public bodies, we publish extensive financial information and undertake regular reviews to ensure we continue to meet, and where possible exceed, transparency requirements.

"This includes the publication of expenditure data and the council's contracts register, while also fulfilling our statutory duty to protect residents' personal data. We have recently reviewed this expenditure to ensure we continue to meet our safeguarding and other statutory obligations."