Dorchester Town Council's quirky spends revealed
They have spent over a £150,000 in two months, including £49 on umbrellas
Council finances are usually an uninteresting topic, until you get your council tax bill.
A brief look through Dorchester Town Council's most recent payments list provides some quirky items, which also illustrates the breadth of council services in the county town.
Payments are counted for the current financial year from April 1st to 30th June 2021.
The total sum of costs came out** at £161,909.82.** Some of those expenses include:
£34 for plastic champagne flutes and £10 for tent pegs which were for the Mayor Making event in the Borough Gardens.
The tent pegs were for securing the gazebos to the ground at the same event and will be used again for future events in the gardens.
One of the more expensive bills on the list was a sum of £22,197 for new retractable seating for the Corn Exchange.
£34,167 for payroll in April, although another amount of £35,191 is also listed, which Dorchester Town Council has confirmed is for May.
Other large sums include £12,647 for the local government pension scheme, £26,411 for rates.
Here is what else was included in the list:
£942 for the council's newsletter distribution, £304 on a glue gun, £1,276 for bedding plants, £1,728 to Dorchester Business Improvement District listed as being for the town app' and shop watch radio, £3,550 for human resources insurance, £1,020 for an annual outdoor inspection, a £1,000 donation for work at the Roman Town House, £3,392 for a shower system, £407 for descaler, £527 for hose parts, £111.82 for cranked hooks, £5,759 for sweeping the Walks, £580 for 'gloves, grease, trousers', £3,600 for table tennis, £1,500 for the Victorian Fair; £49 for umbrellas, £1,448 for 'eviction of travellers', £2,295 for grass cutting, £1,764 for dog gloves.