Councils: £1.2m spent on award ceremonies

Councils are spending more than £1.2m a year on awards ceremonies, covering topics such as "Loo of the Year" and "The Magic of Motown".

Fife council had 34 such events in the past year, while Glasgow council ran up a bill of £83,000 linked to award ceremonies.

Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, which compiled the figures, said: "Recognising staff who have done well doesn't require this kind of extravagant spending."