Aberdeen’s council leader was embroiled in fresh controversy last night as it emerged that he flew to Japan on a taxpayer-funded three-day trip – to attend a conference for just 90 minutes.
Barney Crockett has come under fire after his travel itinerary showed a large portion of the time was spent on visits to tourist attractions and lunch and dinner meetings.
Opposition SNP group leader Callum McCaig said the trip – which took place during a stormy period for the local authority, with major rows over government funding and plans to ban Scottish ministers from council sites – had “all the hallmarks of a jolly”.
However, Mr Crockett insisted it was important for the political leader to be present at the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Expo event as it could bring significant investment to the city to back green energy projects.
He said the itinerary had been “very demanding” for the city delegation – and added that the SNP group supported the trip when approval was required to spend several thousand pounds on travel costs.
Mr McCaig said he would never have backed the 5,621-mile mission if he had known what was involved.
“I don’t think this is justifiable,” he said. “From the agenda I have seen, the visit was incredibly light on real work and it has all the hallmarks of a jolly.
“It is full of visits, wining and dining at a cost that would be beyond the means of most Aberdonians.
“We supported this when it was suggested because it was presented as a working trip to promote the city and the hydrogen economy. I might be missing something, but that does not seem to have particularly high on the agenda.”
The trip included visits to Kosuge Slip Dock, which was designed in part by Fraserburgh-born Thomas Blake Glover, the man-made Dejima island and Nagasaki Peace Park, which commemorates the atomic bombing in August 1945.
Mr Crockett also went on a cruise tour of Gunkanjima and to Shindenan, a popular tourist attraction with a tea room and a traditional Japanese garden.
The four-man Aberdeen delegation had dinner with the mayor of Nagasaki, chairman of the city council, Nagasaki Rotary Club and the Japan-British Society of Nagasaki at the Koyotei restaurant.
The key purpose of the trip was the visit to the International Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Expo, for which an hour and a half was set aside in the itinerary. In a report to councillors seeking funding for the trip, local authority officials said the event was “so large and attended by various politicians” that it would be “essential” to have a senior figure present.
Mr Crockett said: “I was at the conference for a lot longer than an hour and a half, but I think how the trip built up was of great support to hydrogen projects in the city, which have a huge importance for the area.
“I am surprised that the SNP are complaining about this.
“One of the positive factors of the visit to Japan was the way that we worked with SDI (Scottish Development International). It was very constructive and we did exceptionally well. I think it was important to have a political presence.”