Council Payment Cards

Details of spending on procurement cards (otherwise known as payment cards) are listed below by month. It should be noted that as with all spending, the Council continually strives to source the most cost effective, suitable suppliers for all of its needs and requirements.

The use of payment cards is restricted to a small number of users. Cards are only issued to staff where there is a clear business need. All purchases are signed off by a senior manager. There are clear guidelines laid out as to the use of these cards. They are used where it would be impractical to expect employees to pay for items themselves and then reclaim back. They are also used where other purchase arrangements are either not practical or available. The use of cards for towards expenses is prohibited. They are solely for purchases relating to the business needs of the Council.

Although it cannot be highlighted in the each report, there are occasions when the purchase cards are used to acquire items for other teams within or beyond a service or directorate. When this occurs they are subsequently recharged accordingly, but are shown on the list as attributed to the original card used. There are also occasions where the cost of purchases, such as accommodation and travel is paid for but is then recharged to an external third party. The card is used as a tool to secure bookings, but in such cases there is ultimately no cost to the council. Similarly travel can be booked which is connected to externally funded projects and again subsequently recharged to a third party. However, it is not possible to specifically identify when this occurs on the report.

There may be entries where information has been redacted. This is particularly likely in the case of Children’s and Adults Services where the publication of information may lead to the identification of individuals or information relating to individuals. Transactions of a commercially sensitive nature will also be redacted.

2022/2023

2021/2022

2020/21

2019/20

2018/19