Lord Mayor Clover Moore defends $50,000 ‘Christmas party’ in April

Lord Mayor Clover Moore will host an out-of-season Christmas party on Wednesday night, costing taxpayers $50,000 and infuriating some councillors.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has defended splashing out $50,000 in ratepayers’ funds on a lavish Town Hall ­reception to be held on Wednesday night as one councillor said she wouldn’t “subject to myself to another one” and would boycott the event.

It comes after the authority’s traditional end of year “Christmas party” was postponed due to the Northern Beaches corona­virus outbreak, with the council’s leadership holding the event nearly four months later.

An opposition councillor criticised the move as an “election platform” for Ms Moore, given it comes just five months before local government elections.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore will spend $50,000 on an April “Christmas” party. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Outgoing Liberal Councillor Christine Forster said the event would “of course” be used as an opportunity to lobby for more votes by the Lord Mayor, who will attempt to make history by being re-elected for a fifth consecutive term later this year.

“I’ve been on council for nine years and I know this is like a rally for Clover,” Ms Forster said. “I don’t need to subject myself to another one. She’s in full-on campaign mode – it’s frankly outrageous — she’s shameless enough to do it so soon before an election.”

A spokesman for the Lord Mayor said the Annual Stakeholder Reception has been held since the 1990s.