Council officers at Hounslow Council in West London mistakenly used the council credit card for personal purchases, including a £90 haircut, podcast subscriptions, and greeting cards, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
Details of the Erroneous Transactions
The FOI request covered all payments under £250 between April 2025 and March 2026. Among the transactions, one officer inadvertently paid £90 for a haircut using the council card. The council stated that at the time, both personal and council cards were similar in appearance and colour, leading to the mistake. The cardholder has since repaid the full amount.
Other personal purchases included £55.13 paid to Sam Harris Media LLC, which handles payments for Sam Harris's Making Sense podcast and Waking Up app; £10.28 spent on Thankbox, a service for greeting cards; and £44 on Fantasy Football Fix. The council explained that these occurred when council card details were accidentally selected through an autofill function during personal purchases. The cardholder notified the council, and the amounts were recovered via salary deductions.
Missing Receipts and Oversight
For several transactions on Netflix and Amazon totalling £375.43, no receipts were provided to evidence the purchases. The council noted that credit cards are linked to specific service budgets, and transactions are reviewed by budget holders as part of ongoing monitoring. Where receipts are unavailable, alternative checks are conducted through financial monitoring and service records.
A council spokesperson said: "The council takes the stewardship of public money very seriously and has clear controls in place governing the use of corporate payment cards. All transactions are reviewed and charged against service budgets, with budget holders responsible for ensuring expenditure is appropriate and in line with council policies."
Political Reaction and Calls for Reform
Councillor Jack Emsley, Leader of the Opposition, urged the council to urgently review its payment processes. He told the LDRS: "I am glad that this money has now been repaid, but expenses mistakes like this should never have happened in the first place. These errors will damage trust residents have in the local authority, particularly as they come at a time of cuts to local budgets. The council must now urgently review its processes to ensure these mistakes cannot happen in future."
Cllr Emsley also accused the council of double standards, as the LDRS previously revealed through an FOI that the council pays itself for fines incurred by its own staff.
The council spokesperson added: "The transactions identified through the FOI request cover a wide range of council services, including support for children in care, children with disabilities, care leavers and adult learners. In a small number of cases, personal purchases were inadvertently made using council card details. These were identified, declared and reimbursed to the council. Where receipts are unavailable, expenditure is reviewed through the council’s financial procedures, including budget monitoring and managerial oversight, and alternative evidence is requested and scrutinised to ensure spending is legitimate and related to council services."
