Councillors have been busy visiting cities across Europe, America and the Far East in the past two years.

The Argus obtained details of the trips under the Freedom of Information Act, revealing a catalogue of foreign trips to visit everything from rubbish tips to ceremonial gardens.

Sixteen local authorities were asked for details of the trips and while seven - Arun, Adur, Wealden, Crawley, Mid Sussex, Eastbourne and Chichester - spent nothing, a handful were far more extravagant, with councillors making trips to almost 40 destinations, including Venezuela, America, Italy, Belgium, France, Poland, the Czech Republic and Serbia.

West Sussex County Council weighed in with the biggest spend, at just under £10,000; Brighton and Hove City Council spent £4,400 funding trips; and East Sussex County Council's members claimed £3,245.

The most costly councillor was Brad Watson, West Sussex County Council cabinet member for external affairs, who claimed £4,300.

Coun Watson made 14 trips between May 2004 and November 2005, visiting Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and the Ukraine among others.

His most expensive destination was the Black Sea resort of Odessa, Ukraine, where he spent £664 at a conference on regionalism, held by the Assembly of European Regions, at which he was a keynote speaker.

Coun Watson has defended the expenditure, saying that the money has been recouped in EU grants many times over.

He said: "It is a very small sum of money compared to the total budget.

"It is part of my portfolio of communications to know what is going on on the European scene.

"Eighty per cent of what the EU puts in legislation has to be implemented by local authorities.

"Europe is there. It is a political force and as county council, it is a question of seeing how much money we can claw back."

Coun Watson said his work with Arc Manche had secured 350 million euros for the region.

He said:" We can learn a great deal from our neighbours in local government, there is no point in reinventing the wheel.

"It is also important to make sure our voice is being heard."

Second in line for the prize of Sussex's most travelled councillors, is Councillor Brian Fitch, who may not have made the most foreign trips but clocked up the most salubrious destinations.

Coun Fitch claimed almost £3,500 for voyages to Venezuela, America, Poland, and Slovenia, flying a total of 33,000 miles, more than once around the globe in total.

He made the trips as a peace messenger, representing Brighton and Hove on the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities.

He said: "We are in a situation when governments make war and we have the opportunity of helping cities promote peace, and have been able to help other cities in other countries.

"I think we are privileged to be the only city in Sussex that is a member of this.

"Brighton and Hove is the best known city around the world, compared with other cities, because we are part of a world organisation.

"If you look at the budget, the amount is relatively small."

Councillor Don Turner, chairman of the the city's housing committee, spent just over £500 on trips to Barcelona, Belgium and Sweden, while deputy leader councillor Sue John went to the World Health Organisation's Healthy Cities meeting in Udine, Italy, at a cost of £337.87.

Coun Turner went on a fact-finding mission to Gothernburg at a cost of £138, visited Paris to take home lessons on the French public transport system, and stopped off in Genoa, Brussels, Nice, Prague, Paris and Brussels.

Councillor Tex Pemberton, West Sussex County Council's cabinet member for transport, spent the third highest, some £3,500, travelling across Europe for a range of transport events His most costly journey was to a meeting of Polis - a network of European cities and regions which promotes innovation in local transport - in Genoa, Italy, which came in at £400.

Councillor Steve Waight, West Sussex County Council's cabinet member for finance and resources, showed a penchant for visiting Europe's waste treatment plants.

He spent £770 seeing rubbish in Milan, Frankfurt and Madrid.

Opposition councillors have been quick to condemn the trips, saying that the city has had very little to show from its membership.

Lib Dem councillor Irene Richards, who represents Worthing East on West Sussex County Council, said that although foreign trips could be justified, it was inappropriate at a time when the county council was cutting jobs and services. She said: "If you have enough money it can be beneficial, but it is the icing on the cake.

"It is most probably justified, in what the councillors are doing, but it does worry me that we looking at cuts to the child daycare budget and home care when we are paying for these trips. It is all very laudable but is it the best way to use council tax?"

A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said: "The average cost of travel abroad was £115.24, £18 less than the price of a return rail ticket from Chichester to York, or a return flight from Southampton to Edinburgh.

"The average subsistence cost per day worked out at £85.32 and could include hotel and any other expenditure such as, transfers, local travel and meals."

Rachel Gapp, the council's head of European policy, said: "The reasons for travelling abroad can include, learning from others how they are delivering services and bringing ideas back to improve service delivery in West Sussex."

She said findings could also be used to influence future EU legislation, particularly around aviation, future European funding availability for West Sussex or public transport.

"For example, as a result of these efforts we have been able to secure 350 million euros for economic development in the Channel area."

At East Sussex County Council, spending on trips abroad was £3,245, including £250 for trips to Lille and Somme to see the opening of new gardens.

The council's most costly trip was £942 for Councillor Matthew Lock and Councillor Joy Waite to visit a Rethink Rubbish project in Rouen, France.

Claims in Horsham for foreign travel totalled £135, in Hastings councillors spent £295, in Lewes the figure was £291, and in Worthing it was £940.

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