Council tax rise funding council booze?

I was concerned to read in today's Sunday Sun that Newcastle City Council has spent nearly £25,000 on wine since 2008. At a time when the City Council is going ahead with job cuts across Council services, this is shameful. What's more, this week the City Council announced that it would hit residents hard with a 1.5% increase in Council tax. This represents on average 29p increase in weekly Council tax bills for city residents; it may not seem a lot but in these difficult times, Newcastle City Council should to the right thing and follow the lead of some Tory Councils and freeze Council tax this year.

When a Council is spending £25,000 on booze at the same time as increasing council tax for residents, it obviously has its priorities in the wrong order.