Lib Dem motion to East Cambs Council wants to save cash by putting an end to free buffet for councillors ahead of council meetings

An East Cambs councillor will press tonight for her colleagues to vote to abandon their pre-council meeting buffet.

The council tax funded buffet is provided for members of East Cambridgeshire District Council at an annual cost of some £900.

Councillor Lorna Dupre, who heads the minority Lib Dem group on the Tory controlled authority, said: “There’s no excuse for this sort of thing in this day and age.”

Councillors arriving for full council – that meets five times a year – are invited to a private committee room where a buffet is laid out. They can choose from a selection of vol-au-vents, sandwiches, skewered chicken, fruit cake and soft drinks.

Councillors often then take their plateful of food to another room for a pre-council meeting with party colleagues.

Cllr Dupre believes East Cambs should tighten their belts as many other local authorities have done and put an end to providing free food and drink for its councillors.

Her amendment will be discussed as part of a wider range of proposals she will seek to win approval for including extending the council’s support for community transport from £15,000 to £50,000 per annum.

She also wants to see a council tax rise of one per cent and extra resource for the planning department.