Tewkesbury Borough Council has ruled that a councillor’s mileage claim for attending a remote meeting via Microsoft Teams was a “genuine mistake.” This incident occurred during the last financial year when the council refused two separate mileage claims submitted by the same councillor.
The council clarified that claiming travel expenses for virtual meetings is not appropriate, as no physical journey was undertaken. However, in this case, officials acknowledged that the claim appeared to be an honest error rather than an attempt to improperly claim funds.
The council has since reminded all members to carefully review their expense submissions to ensure compliance with policy, especially as more meetings continue to be held remotely in the wake of increasing digital engagement.