Bedford Borough Council has declined to respond directly to media questions about its use of taxpayer-funded staff payment cards, despite a clampdown on government payment card use announced earlier this year.
However, a separate Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has revealed some details about card use at the authority, including that no audit on their use has been carried out in the last two years.
On 18 March 2025, the Cabinet Office announced that nearly 20,000 government procurement cards would be frozen pending the implementation of a new application process.
A process which aimed to reduce the number of cards in use by 50 per cent.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said at the time, “It’s not right that hundreds of millions of pounds are spent on government credit cards each year, without high levels of scrutiny or challenge.
“Only officials for whom it is absolutely essential should have a card,” he said.
In light of this announcement, the LDRS asked the Borough Council for details on its use of staff payment cards, including:
- How many corporate debit/credit cards does Bedford Borough Council currently have in circulation for staff use?
- What policies and oversight measures are in place to prevent misuse of council-issued payment cards?
- Has the council identified any instances of inappropriate or unnecessary spending on these cards in the past three years? If so, what action was taken?
- In light of the UK government’s recent mass cancellation of government-issued credit cards to curb wasteful spending, is the council reviewing its use of such cards?
- Has Bedford Borough Council cancelled or reduced the number of staff with access to corporate debit/credit cards in recent years? If so, what was the reason?
No response has been received at the time of publication.
However, the FOI request did reveal that:
- No audits of purchase cards took place in the council in 2023–24 or 2024–25
- There is no specific policy on purchases made at supermarkets beyond a general rule that no card can be used for spending
- Each cardholder has individual spending limits for both total and single transactions
The standard media questions put to the council were submitted on 18 March and followed up on 17 April and 27 May. At the time of publication, no reply had been received.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
