Councillor Oliur Rahman, a Cabinet member in controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman's Tower Hamets administration, regularly uses taxis to travel fom his work to the Town Hall - a journey that is quicker by tube.
Local Conservative Councillors have been monitoring the taxi fares that Cllr Rahman charges to the council for journeys from his office at the Department for Work and Pensions in Straford, East London to the Town Hall.
In an answer to an enquiry raised by Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Peter Golds, the Head of Democratic services stated with regard to Cllr Rahman:
"The Council paid for seven taxi journeys in respect of Councillor Oliur Rahman from a business address in Stratford to the Town Hall during the period 1st February 2011 to the end of May 2011, which is the last month for which I currently have complete information.
The total cost of these journeys was £130.50. All of the journeys were booked with 'ComCabs' with the exception of one journey booked with 'Radio Taxis'.
In relation to your question about why this expenditure is deemed appropriate, the guidelines for use of taxis by Councillors state that this may be agreed where public tranpsorts is either not available or where the urgency or timescales involved mean that it would not be suitable in a particular case".
This figure of £130.50 is similar to costs claimed for taxis from October 2010.
Councillor Golds says:
"Oliur Rahman works in an office in Stratford. To reach the Town Hall he could board a Jubilee line train from Stratford, travel two stops to Canning Town, and then change to the DLR for one stop to East India staiton, which is adjacent to the Town Hall. I have done this journey myself in just twelve minutes. This is hardly a case where public transport is 'unavailable'.
This is yet another example of Mayor Rahman and his supporters' vanity actions in this borough. Should Oliur Rahman at least use minicabs rather than black cabs, the fares would be a little cheaper."
In another development, Cllr Golds have established that the Executive Mayor, who is paid a salary of £65,000, has made an executive decision to hire a silver grey Mercedes car at a cost to the taxpayer of £72 per day. He also uses council staff who normally deliver post around the borough to drive him around.
Cllr Golds adds:
"First it was a new £120,000 office suite to meet foreign dignitaries, then his own newspaper, now it is a luxury car. What will it be next for Lutfur Rahman?"