CASH-strapped council chiefs have come under fire after they spent over £8 million on taxis in just one year.

The local authority says the majority of the costs are associated with private hire cabs being used to transport children with additional support needs to schools that best meet their individual requirements.

But campaigners say the spend is excessive and believe more cost effective ways to meet travel demands must be found.

Figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request revealed that Glasgow City Council forked out a staggering £8,396,610 on fares between 2023/24 - with around £7.3m of this allocated to school runs.

It comes as the local authority face a huge budget deficit, with a projected shortfall of £120 million for the fiscal year.

Taxpayers and councillors have criticised the bill - insisting more  solutions could have been found, leaving cash to protect or boost flagging council services.

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One source told the Glasgow Times: “This is eye-watering amount to spend on transport, especially as the council is already trimming so many other vital community services. Surely it would make more sense to hire drivers and invest in a specialist multi-purpose vehicles to help alleviate the pressure?

“Any council funding needs to be deployed with great care and thought, but this just seems like a lot of taxpayers’ money. And the schools aspect still leaves £1m unaccounted for. This is a concern, especially given the state of the city centre and other problems the council is facing.

“We need to find funds to sort out the general mess of the city centre, boost education and invest in community services instead of lining the pockets of private companies. I think that most taxpayers will be dismayed at these findings, it’s an exceptional spend over the course of 12 months. All we hear is how the council need to make more cuts, so where has the money come from for this?”

Labour Councillor Robert Mooney urged council bosses to have an urgent rethink before deciding where cash should be earmarked in future.

Robert MooneyRobert Mooney (Image: Newsquest)

He added: “It’s a massive amount to spend on taxis in just one year. It is important that we meet the needs of these children, but there must be a better way to do it, or we need to find one, There are urgent priorities that are clear to see all over the city.

"The revelation that the council is spending over £8 million annually raises serious questions about whether this expenditure represents value for our residents. In addition, this raises serious concerns about the priorities and decision-making of this city administration. In these times of financial constraints, it is essential that such expenditures are scrutinised to ensure that they provide value for money. They must explain how this outlay aligns with our financial responsibility and effective use of public funds.

"There needs to be more discussion, debate and ultimately transparency overall into how public money is being used.”

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said distances that some pupils are having to travel are leading to higher transport costs.

They added: "The vast majority of these costs relates to the statutory provision of home to school transport of pupils and young people with additional support needs.

“Individual needs of children and young people in the city are matched to a school that will meet those needs and as such may not be close to the child's home.

“In 2023/24 education spent £7.3m on transport and for an average of 1,400 pupils per day.”