Labour is launching a crackdown on Goverment credit cards amid fears some civil servants are ‘taking the p***’ with their spending.
Cat Little, the top official at the Cabinet Office, has written to the bosses of all Whitehall departments to demand they rapidly review their outgoings.
They have been asked to check whether every civil servant who has a Government procurement card actually requires one, and to cancel those that aren’t needed.
Permanent secretaries have also been told to review their approval processes for spending and to take action where spending is found to break rules.
One senior source said the review had been triggered by fears some officials were ‘taking the p***’.
It follows scrutiny of civil service spending since Labour’s general election victory last July.
Officials are reported to have spent thousands of pounds on meals at private members’ clubs and luxury crystal glasses.
Team-building exercises, such as an escape room in Kent, and English sparkling wine was also found to have been put on Government cards.
Cat Little, the top official at the Cabinet Office, has written to the bosses of all Whitehall departments to demand they rapidly review their outgoings
It was recently reported how the Foreign Office spent £2,400 at Cumbria Crystal. The luxury glass company also supplied crystalware for the set of TV’s Downton Abbey
The Foreign Office also spent £998 on food and drinks on a visit to Sokha Beach Resort in Cambodia in September
In her letter to other top officials, Ms Little said she had been ‘concerned to see examples of expenditure using these purchasing cards’.
The Cabinet Office permanent secretary added such spending ‘on the face of it look difficult to justify based on our approved guidelines’.
‘Public trust in Government is hard won and easily lost, and our fiduciary duty in managing taxpayers’ money is a core element of this trust,’ she continued.
‘The current reporting requirements and approvals mechanisms need to be strengthened.
‘And we must collectively take a more stringent approach to controlling expenditure on procurement cards and reducing the numbers issued.’
Following talks with Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, Ms Little ordered a ‘rapid review and revalidation exercise of all procurement cards’.
‘I would expect this to involve reviewing the number of procurement cards issued and ensuring everyone who has one really needs one,’ she said.
‘Where your teams identify charges are found to be incompatible with departmental guidance you should take action as you deem necessary, including disciplinary action and the revocation of the card in question.’
The Times last week reported that the Foreign Office spent £2,400 at Cumbria Crystal, where a set of four Grasmere wine glasses costs £500.
The luxury glass company, founded by Lord and Lady Cavendish, also supplied crystalware for the set of TV’s Downton Abbey.
The newspaper’s analysis of spending on Government credit cards showed £1,400 was spent at London department store Fortnum and Mason’s, £600 on Chapel Down sparkling wine and £741 on bespoke shoes from Carreducker.
Bills at private members’ clubs, included £2,240 at The British Club in Thailand, £975 at London’s Reform Club and £940 at The Kildare Street and University Club in Dublin.
There was also an £810 bill for Home Office staff to do a team-building exercise at an escape room in Kent and £872 on trophies for an awards ceremony.
The Foreign Office paid £623 for tickets to the South By South West music and tech festival in Sydney, and spent £998 on food and drinks on a visit to Sokha Beach Resort in Cambodia in September.
The Tories accused Labour of ‘double standards’ following the party’s criticism of the previous Conservative government for similar spending.
Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: ‘In opposition they were all too happy to point the finger, but now in Government it’s one rule for them and another for everyone else. Labour’s hypocrisy stinks.’
A Government spokesperson said: ‘The majority of this spending was under the previous administration.
‘This Government is clear – all spending must be justified as we continue to tackle wasteful expenditure and inefficiency wherever it may occur.
‘Our upcoming spending review will ensure taxpayer money is focused firmly on the government’s plan for change, getting the NHS back on its feet, rebuilding Britain and securing our borders.’
