A row has erupted among county councillors after it emerged they were offered the chance to stay in top city hotels to ensure they made a crunch meeting.

All 74 Oxfordshire county councillors received an email advising them they could stay in hotels on expenses to make sure they made today's meeting to set the council tax for 2009/10.

Councillors were told they could claim up to £132.03 — and some decided to stay at the Malmaison hotel at Oxford Castle last night, next to County Hall.

The offer came after it was feared heavy snowfall might have meant difficulty for those travelling to County Hall from remote areas.

It is not known how many councillors took up the offer and council leader Keith Mitchell, who represents Bloxham near Banbury and lives in Adderbury, refused to tell the Oxford Mail if he stayed at Malmaison, adding: “It would be a legitimate expense if someone chose to.”

If all 57 councillors representing areas outside Oxford took up the offer, it would cost £7,525.71.

Last night councillors from opposition Labour and Green groups, who live in Oxford and did not need hotel accommodation, described the expenditure as “outrageous”.

Green councillor Craig Simmons said: “This is a perk and I think it’s verging on bribery to get councillors to the meeting to push through the budget.

“The councillors could have stayed elsewhere at a much more modest expense — to put people up at Malmaison is a junket.

“I cycled in from East Oxford and if the roads had been icy I would have found another way to get in.

“Funding is tight at the moment and I think this gives out the message that the council has money to burn.”

Labour councillor Liz Brighouse added: “I think it’s disgraceful — they could have stayed at B&Bs.”

Former Oxford Lord Mayor and Labour councillor Val Smith suggested members should have stayed at the Nanford Guest House in Iffley Road, which was recently voted one of the UK’s dirtiest hotels by a travellers’ website.

Liberal Democrat county councillor for Wheatley Anne Purse, who is vice-chairman of the council, stayed at Malmaison and added: “I live in Beckley and I couldn’t get my car out for days last week because of the snow.

“If there had been heavy snow and I had missed the meeting that would have been disrespectful.”

Fellow Liberal Democrat Zoe Patrick, county councillor for Grove and Wantage, also stayed at Malmaison.

Her husband advised her to stay at the hotel after she underwent an operation over Christmas.

He paid for the stay and said his wife would not be claiming the money back on expenses, as she is entitled to do.

She said: “If the weather had been bad, I would have been snowed in.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Jean Fooks, who represents Summertown and Wolvercote, said: “I think it’s perfectly reasonable because we have to set the budget and agree the level of council tax.

“If we don’t do that it holds up the whole system and the district councils would not be able to go ahead and agree their precepts.”

In an email sent by Tony Cloke, assistant head of the council’s legal and democratic services, he said: “If the adverse weather conditions continue, some affected members may want to stay overnight in Oxford on Monday, to ensure timely attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, and the setting of the council's budget. This is permissible if circumstances necessitate it.

“The normal rule for overnight accommodation is that it should not exceed the per night limit of £132.03 and that only actual expenditure up to that limit is reimbursed.

“A claim for any such accommodation can be submitted with your next monthly allowances claim.”

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk

At the council meeting today:

Oxfordshire will get eight new child social workers as part of a county council investment programme to ensure a ‘Baby P’ type incident does not happen in the county.

The council agreed to pump an extra £410,000 into children’s social care at its budget meeting yesterday.

The council will also invest £14.4m over four years in improving day centres and care homes for the elderly in Oxford, Witney, Banbury, Bicester, Thame and Chipping Norton.

County councillors agreed to splash out £250,000 to revamp farm buildings at Cogges Farm Museum in Witney.

The council also agreed to invest £750,000 over the next two years for improvements to buildings at Witney Youth Centre in Witan Way.

Council taxpayers will pay less than they expected for county services from April after councillors voted to reduce its share of the council tax bill.

Band D taxpayers will now pay £1.37 less for the authority’s services than was anticipated after councillors agreed to reduce its council tax rise from 3.87 per cent to 3.75 per cent.

The Cooper School in Bicester looks set to be able to offer post-16 education for the first time after County Hall agreed to commit funds for a new £4m sixth form centre.

The council has committed £3m for the scheme at the school over the next three years.

However, the authority is also seeking a contribution from the Learning and Skills Council towards the cost of the project.