CIVIC chiefs spent more than £3,000 of taxpayer’s money on attending a glittering London awards ceremony - only to come home empty-handed.

Test Valley council spent £2,500 on ten tickets to the MJ Local Government Achievement Awards, which took place at the five-star London Hilton Hotel in June, it has been revealed.

The authority was invited to the awards, which celebrate the work of councils across the country, after being selected as a finalist in the the Local Authority of the Year category.

However it turned out to be an unsuccessful night for TVBC, who lost out to winners Wolverhampton council.

As well as spending on the costs of the tickets, the council also footed a £640 travel bill for the authority’s attendees on the night.

These included leader of the Conservative-run authority Phil North and the £117,000-a-year chief executive Roger Tetstall.

The authority’s £3,000 award spend It comes just months the authority put up council tax by an average of £5 year. Staff at the council also received their third consecutive 2.5 per cent pay hike in June.

The night out was criticised by pressure group TaxPayers’ Alliance.

Campaign manager Chloe Westley said: “Instead of congratulating themselves with a £3,000 night out on the taxpayer, perhaps council staff should focus on providing reliable and quality services to the residents that are paying their salaries.”

Despite the criticism, Cllr North described the council’s place in the final as a “magnificent achievement”.

He said: “We are extremely proud to have been the only borough council in the country to have reached the final of the MJ Awards for Local Authority of the Year.”

Cllr North added: “As finalists, we were naturally invited to attend the award ceremony where the winners were announced. This included staff who had made significant contributions to the work outlined in the award submission.”