SURREY County Council staff claimed for about £4.9m in expenses for mileage and travel last year.

Analysis of expenses between 2012-2017 also identified employee expenses had risen by 70 per cent over the last five years from £3million to £5.1million.

The figures from an internal audit review found in 2017/18 a further £187,000 was paid for out-of-pocket expenses.

The report, which was presented to the audit and governance committee at the end of last month, noted ‘weaknesses and inconsistencies’ in the way expenses claims were handled, with staff not always including the right fuel receipts. 

Esher councillor Peter Szanto said the amount of expenses paid out seemed alarming.

He said: “At a time as a council when we have been trying to make savings as much as we can, it rings alarm bells.”

The report also detailed how much had been spent by staff on purchase cards – credit cards that allow people to make one-off, business-related purchases online or at point of sale.

There were around 400 purchase cards in use at the time of the audit, generating 21,600 transactions that totalled just more than £2m illion being spent.

Farnham councillor Stephen Spence said: “The vast majority of people put in honest claims and if they don’t get things right, it’s a mistake.”

Mr Spence said picking up on mistakes and putting in strict policies and procedures for expenses claims was not a ‘question of someone’s integrity,’ but about making sure everyone was working the same way.

The report also gave feedback on the work by a counter fraud team set up by Surrey CC’s shared partnership programme Orbis, in April.

Four investigations were carried out, including one into an officer who was suspended for forging a colleague’s signature on council documents.

The investigation could not determine who signed the papers, but the report noted: “There was sufficient evidence to conclude the suspended officer’s work fell short of the standards expected in this role.”

The officer resigned before a disciplinary hearing was due to take place.

Other officers also had to provide handwriting samples as part of an investigation into who defaced council records. The audit noted one officer did then come forward and admit guilt and apologised.

A disciplinary meeting was held and an ‘appropriate conclusion reached.’

Finance staff are now working with employees to encourage a change in culture and view of expenses to make sure everyone is in line with policies.

•MORE complaints were made against Surrey County Council to the Local Government Ombudsman than neighbouring and larger council Hampshire, figures show.

There were 1,332 complaints made about Surrey in 2017/18 compared to 1,260 for Hampshire, which has a population of 1.64m people.

Surrey, with a population of 1.1million, is third in a table of South East county councils behind Kent and Essex, which received 1,900 and 1,910. 

The number of complaints received by Surrey CC in 2017/18 were 15 per cent less than the previous year’s total of 1,569.

There was an increase in financial redress paid out in compensation for 2017/18 with £32,224 paid. Of this £20,600 was due to a single payment in a children’s case recommended by the Ombudsman.