Attleborough town council employee racked up a £4,000 bill on a taxpayer-funded mobile phone in less than three months

A town council employee racked up a £4,000 bill on a taxpayer-funded mobile phone in less than three months.

Attleborough Town Council said the blunder was due to the member of staff, who has since left the role, not being “au fait” with technology.

The authority has declined to specify how the phone had been used during this time but has agreed to cover half of the costs, admitting it should have put a spending cap on the device.

This decision has been met with anger among taxpayers, who demanded councillors pay out of their own pockets instead.

It comes at a time when tensions are running high between the authority and locals, with one member charged with criminal damage and accusations of intimidation and violence being flung about at meetings.

The total mobile phone bill of £3,744 was revealed at a town council meeting earlier this month, where the broaching of the subject was met with laughter from councillors.

The clerk, Sharon Smyth, said the amount was spent between January and the beginning of March last year by an ex-employee, who would be required to pay half of the bill.

Ms Smyth said: “We felt that, because we had not put a cap on the work mobiles, and this person was not au fait with using modern technology, this would be a fair solution.

“The ex-employee did not realise what he was doing and it is our fault too for not putting a limit on the phone.”

The council would not reveal which member of staff had been using the phone but its employees include groundsmen, caretakers and administrative assistants.

One member of the public said: “This feels like a cover-up and some councillors seem to find this funny.

“Personally, I object to having my council tax money being frittered away by somebody.”

Richard Allington, a local businessman, said: “If it is the fault of councillors, they should have to split the bill.

“Why should we pay it? It isn’t our fault.”

ANARCHY IN ATTLEBOROUGH

Tensions have been growing between locals and the town council over recent months and have reached a boiling point at recent meetings, including this one, with discussions descending into heckling and calls for resignations.

Members of the public have been expressing anger at a series of unpopular decisions taken by the council as well as the handling of a scandal involving one of its members, Stephen Fraser, who was recently charged with criminal damage.

Mr Fraser, who also sits on Breckland Council, was arrested after the window of Mr Allington’s kitchen shop was found smashed in April.

A controversial agreement later that month to fund therapy for any councillors who felt they needed it because of the stress of their role only resulted in further furore.

There has also been criticism of councillors over non-council activities, including their business dealings.

Several social media pages have been set up to lambast the authority for what critics say is its reluctance to address complaints, with sites showing cartoon depictions of some members.

However, the councillors themselves argue they are being unfairly targeted in what they describe as a “campaign of hate” and have taken on their critics.

The councillors claim they have faced intimidation and violence including being bitten, slapped in the face, sworn at in the streets and even having their cars tampered with.

The council is currently seeking legal advice regarding the social media posts made about councillors and has suggested some of these may be libellous.

Mr Fraser, who has resigned from the Conservative Party since being charged, is due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court next month after an earlier hearing was adjourned.