Dont tax the rich, its taxi for Ritchie

Hornet today announces the first in a series of new awards that each of our elected representatives stand a good chance of winning.

Today its the prestigious "Taxi Award" and the lucky winner is Bromptons very own Cllr Shireen Ritchie, clocking up an impressive 37 taxi rides costing almost £500.

Cllr Danny "DHL to Thailand" Moylan and Cllr Cunningham were a distant tied second with just eight each, and Redcliffe stalwart Cllr Taylor fourth with six, although the costs for hers were more than Moylan and Cunningham.

Councillors are allowed to claim back taxi fares only if the journey is absolutely necessary, in connection with council business and to ensure punctual arrival.

So that means if a councillor is at home, or in the Town Hall and has a meeting to get to with four hours to go until it starts. You can either saunter to the tube or the bus stop in good time and use an oyster card to pay the £2 fare with rest of the hoi-polloi, or wait until the very last minute and then hail a cab charging it back to the council.


A special achievement award goes to Cllr Warwick Lightfoot, the self confessed Hobbit, who managed to squeeze out from the council some cab rides on an away day to the rather plush Executive Management Residential AP Moller Training Centre in Cambridge. Butter-Beers all round!