Cost of minister's chauffeur driven cars revealed

The cost of ministerial chauffeur driven cars for one year has been revealed as £6.3 million. It is estimated that the Prime Minister’s team alone uses 93 cars at a cost of £67,500 a year a piece. Over the past 4 years the bill for vehicles and chauffeurs stands at £24 million.

The biggest spenders include the Home Office and the Cabinet Office who have spent £1.8 million on chauffeur driven cars since 2005.

The figures were obtained by the Shadow Communities Minister, Justine Greening, who has condemned the extravagant use of the taxpayer’s money saying: “It is unacceptable that ministers are spending nearly £70,000 a year on each car that they use. It is clearly excessive and a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

The Chief Executive of the Taxpayer’s Alliance, Matthew Elliott, thought it was distasteful for ministers to be using such a luxurious form of transport during a time of economic hardship and branded the ministers “selfish and arrogant.”

However the Government Car and Dispatch Agency has defended the use of the chauffeur driven vehicles saying it is necessary for ministers to use this form of transport. They cited security risks and rules that disallowed ministers from carrying official documents on public transport as reasons for the need for the chauffeur driven cars.