We’re opening up our database of £4m of spending based on FOI request responses from 100 local councils and police authorities.

As we reported last week, the responses contain some interesting budget decisions – from a specific staff position in one authority lasting 18 months to the excessive cost of bunting. What can you find in the figures?

Here are just some more that we’ve found:

• Two authorities – Aberdeenshire* Aberdeen and Lewisham – spent £7,398 of their torch relay budgets on new CCTV cameras. Why? And how are they being used now?
• The torch’s hour in Dundee came at a cost of £30,000, all of which came from the Environment budget. This was approved in this meeting (blink and you’ll miss it), but the agenda note is missing.
• Kensington and Chelsea were the only council to have an ‘Event Producer’ in their costs – that person charged £6,468, although other authorities may have included these costs under general event production.
• Falkirk paid £471 for an ’emergency counselling service’ – was it used? Why did they anticipate a need for it?
• Lancashire do not appear to know how much the torch relay cost: they were the only authority to refuse our FOI request saying it would take over 18 staff hours to collate.
• And on a more quirky side, Bath and North East Somerset costed a ‘World Record Attempt’ on the budget at £1,582

You can search the database here (it’s case-sensitive so capitals matter) or below:

*See the correction here.

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