Sandwell Council staff told to tighten their belts

Workers at Sandwell Council have been warned off first-class rail travel, hotel expenses and buffets for events as the authority battles to save millions of pounds.

The council said it may seem like "penny-pinching" but savings must be made. Sandwell needs to save £75m over the next four years and its boss today said belts had to be tightened.

Chief executive Jan Britton, in a message to staff on his Word on the Street internet blog, said he was going to "lay down the law" on a raft of staff expenses.

Mr Britton has advised on only sending one employee to conferences where possible and to print documents only when there is a strict business case. "These may seem like penny-pinching measures but in the choice between first class rail tickets, conferences and hotels or jobs — I know where we should be," his message read.

Mr Britton, who titled his blog post Age of Austerity, said managers must carefully consider if going to an event is necessary. He also warned it was no longer appropriate to provide food for events or training sessions involving solely council staff.

The chief executive, who took over in November, told workers rail travel should be booked in advance as standard class, choosing specific times to reduce ticket costs.

Managers were meanwhile told to control the cost of mileage or other travel to reduce the authority's expenditure.

The Express & Star revealed earlier this month that conference venues for the c ouncil cost the taxpayer £446,054 between September 2009 and August last year.