Carrara Cr La Castra spent just a few bob, racking up just $3.48 on printing in 2014-15

CARRARA councillor Bob La Castra spent all of $3.48 on printing and advertising last year but doesn't have a clue what it was for.

CARRARA councillor Bob La Castra spent all of $3.48 on printing and advertising last year but doesn't have a clue what it was for.

The small spend, less than the cost of a cup of coffee, was just a few “bob” out of the $59,614 councillors spent on stationery, letters and other items, according to a new council report.

In contrast, Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow spent a massive $11,000 but said all the money went straight back into the community.

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Cr La Castra, a city hall veteran, was at a loss to explain what he spent the $3.48 on but guessed it would likely have been on stationery such as white-out or paperclips.

“Lord knows where it went and I cannot imagine what it would have been for, other than maybe some staples and white-out,” he said.

“The way I look at it, it is ratepayers’ money and particularly in a year which there has been so much negative publicity about politicians’ spending, it is good to know that I was careful with it.

“In the past there have been people who have done a lot of self-promotion and sending out letters about everything as an excuse just to have their name out there.”

Councillor Dawn Crichlow has defended her expenses. Picture: Jerad Williams

Cr Crichlow is the highest spender, dropping more than $11,300 in the July 2014-June 2015 period, a little more than 19 per cent of city hall’s total stationery spending.

Along with her $1852.45 mobile phone bill, Cr Crichlow is the city’s highest-spending councillor, with expenses totalling $13,180.17

Cr Crichlow defended her spending which she said was used primarily on buying stationery given away to community organisations and locals.

The evergreen Southport councillor said the money was spent on items which directly assisted people who lived in her division.

Councillor Bob La Castra. Picture: Jerad Williams

“I do spend a lot but I do not go on ratepayer-funded conventions or trips.

“Instead, I operate differently and use it with the community locally.

“The reason I do spending on printing and stationery is to get pens which have calendars in them and because I belong to so many organisations, it is nice to be able to give them out for their own use.

“Also, unlike the other councillors, I don’t spend money on having community development officers because I think the position is just pork-barrelling which is not needed because it is a councillor’s job to be in the community.”

The latest council figures come after a political year dominated by controversies surrounding the spending of electoral officials.

MP Bronwyn Bishop was forced to resign as speaker over an expenses scandal in August. Picture: John Grainger

Federal parliamentary speaker Bronwyn Bishop was forced to resign in August after spending more than $5000 on a helicopter trip to a Liberal Party fundraiser.

MPs from both major political parties were caught up in the fallout of the expenses scandal.

The Bishop scandal is considered to have played a major role in leading to the ousting of Tony Abbott as Prime Minister.

According to the city council’s annual report, Mayor Tom Tate spent a total of $12,948.59 covering conferences, printing and his mobile phone.

Councillor William Owen-Jones is the only city leader recorded as not charging any expenses from his mobile phone usage to ratepayers.

The lowest spender overall was former mayor and Surfers Paradise councillor Lex Bell, whose total expenses were just $2713.83.

Overall expenses for the city’s 15 councillors fell just short of $105,000.

According to the report, the only councillor not to claim any city hall funds for a mobile phone was city finance boss William Owen-Jones who continued to use his private mobile.