Council spent thousands on first-class rail travel

South Tyneside Labour councillors spent more than £7,500 on first-class train tickets last year, according to figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws

Labour councillors have been criticised for spending thousands on "luxury travel" instead of "fixing damp homes" and "repairing roads".

South Tyneside Council spent close to £15,000 over 18 months on first-class train tickets so members could attend meetings and awards. Many were bought despite officials refusing the need for upgrades as they did not meet guidelines.

Independent councillor Andrew Guy, who originally raised concerns, said the purchases were a "betrayal of trust".

South Tyneside Labour said the claims were made in line with rules and the matter "has already been through the audit committee". The authority said councillors could choose how they travelled based on requirements.

In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the council revealed the details of each first-class train ticket its councillors had purchased between 1 January 2024 and 3 July this year.

Over this period, 15 councillors - all of whom belong to the ruling Labour Party - used taxpayer money to travel first rather than standard class - with several doing so multiple times.

Councillors included veteran leader Tracey Dixon and cabinet members Ruth Berkley, Liz McHugh, Judith Taylor, Jim Foreman, Ernest Gibson and Paul Dean.

The local authority is made up of 27 Labour councillors, 18 independents and nine Greens.

Veteran leader Tracey Dixon travelled first class to events around England

The FOI request revealed that £7,526 had been spent on first-class train tickets in 2024 and close to that amount - £7,294 - in the first half of 2025, up until 3 July.

The local authority said councillors should seek "cost-effective" travel arrangements and its constitution had changed in May so that elected members could choose how they travel based on "specific requirements".

Before this, councillors had been asked to provide "real justification" when seeking first-class travel.

South Tyneside Labour - speaking on behalf of its members - said some of its councillors had accessibility and medical issues.

'Lost touch'

Last year's total included £1,691 on first-class train tickets between Newcastle and London for five councillors to attend the Local Government Chronicle Awards.

This included a set of return tickets for councillor Lynne Proudlock, which cost £457.39, as well as return tickets that cost £443.42 for Dixon. The others spent between £198 and £296 for their tickets.

"Every pound spent on luxury travel is a pound not spent fixing damp homes, repairing roads, or supporting residents who actually need it," said Guy, who is also a member of the council's audit committee.

"This is a betrayal of trust and priorities, and proof that South Tyneside's leadership has lost touch with the realities facing local people," he added.

Many of the journeys taken by the councillors originated from Newcastle train station

Green councillor Rachael Taylor said she did not believe council funds should ever be spent on first-class travel.

"Setting high standards in our own spending helps protect both the council's finances and residents' confidence in their elected representatives," she said.

'More privacy'

In many of the expense forms submitted before May, first published by Guy and seen by the BBC, the reasons for claiming first-class travel were rejected by officials.

However, councillors were still able to buy more expensive tickets, with many of them claiming "exceptional circumstances".

In one November 2024 claim, Dixon sought to buy first-class return tickets between Newcastle and London for a Local Government Association meeting. The journey to the capital takes around three hours.

She said that as first-class seats had more space, they would give her "extra confidentiality when taking calls" and for working online.

However, a council worker processing the claim rejected this reason and said confidential calls should not be made where they could be "overheard".

Despite this, the £209.54 first-class tickets were still bought.

South Tyneside Labour said all claims were made in line with council rules and guidelines

In another example, Foreman, cabinet member for governance, finance and corporate services, was chastised in writing by the official processing his £299.88 expense claim for travel between Bristol and Newcastle to attend the Association for Public Service Excellence Annual Seminar in September 2024.

It said: "We have discussed this many times... First-class travel is not an automatic right.

"There must be real justification as to why a councillor would ever travel first class... please include the justification."

The tickets were bought but it is unclear whether a justification was later provided.

Responding, South Tyneside Labour said: "All claims are made in line with council rules and guidelines, and some councillors have accessibility and medical issues.

"This matter has already been through the audit committee."

A council spokesperson said councillors and co-optees "are entitled to travelling and subsistence expenses necessarily incurred to carry out specific duties."

They highlighted the constitution agreed in May, which states: "All members will seek to secure cost-effective travel arrangements at all times, but the method of travel will be determined by each individual elected member according to the specific requirements of that councillor."

It said previous iterations of the constitution stated that: "First-class travel is not an automatic right and will never be appropriate for a short journey. There must be real justification as to why a councillor would ever travel first class."