A local authority has been slammed for forking out on a buffet for councillors at meeting which lasted just over 19 minutes.

Wrexham Council laid on the spread costing £7.50 per head at its annual mayor-making ceremony held at the town's Guidhall on Tuesday afternoon (May 24, 2022).

Sandwiches, cakes and a fruit platter were among the items on offer after being supplied by the local authority's catering team, along with tea and coffee.

It came as Labour councillor Brian Cameron was chosen to become mayor of Wrexham for the forthcoming year.

However, one newly-elected community leader decided not to attend in person as he said he felt "uncomfortable" about money being spent on food for politicians during the cost of living crisis.

Rhosnesni councillor Andy Gallanders said he and his Plaid Cymru colleagues chose to donate the amount which would have been spent on their behalf to a local charity instead.

The Leader:

He said: “Whilst families are struggling to put food on the table, this council found it acceptable to put on a buffet to feed councillors for turning up for less than 30 minutes.

“Being a new councillor maybe I’m being naive, however how can we represent our wards whilst lording it up?

“Four Plaid councillors were at the Guildhall for the mayor-making ceremony but refused to partake.

“Instead we as a team of nine councillors have made a donation to Given To Shine (GTS).

“GTS do incredible work literally feeding hundreds of families whilst also tackling food waste.”

There were further issues at Tuesday's meeting after members of the public watching online were unable to hear the new mayor make his maiden speech.

Only councillors and a limited numbers of guests were able to attend in person, meaning the press and public were restricted to watching proceedings via a live webcast.

The majority of the broadcast did not contain any audio with the council blaming human error for the problems.

A Wrexham Council spokesperson said payments were only made for the buffet in respect of those who confirmed they would be attending the meeting in person.

They said: “The cost of buffet was £7.50 per head and is ordered for those who have indicated they will be attending.

“It consisted of sandwiches, wraps, savouries, fruit platter, cakes, orange juice, tea or coffee provided in-house by the functions catering team.”