SWINDON Council has been criticised for being too generous with the amount of mileage its staff can claim.

A report from the pressure group, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has revealed that Swindon Council pays its staff 65p a mile for petrol – 20p more than the HMRC Approved Mileage Allowance Payment of 45p a mile.

The council has steadily increased the amount staff can claim per mile from 58.7p between 2008-2009, 60.1p in 2009-2010 and now 65p.

This resulted in total pay-outs of £1.619m in 2008-2009 and £1.627m for 2009-2010.

Wiltshire Council, which also pays staff 65p a mile, paid out £3.707m for the year 2009-2010.

The biggest mileage pay-out went to Lancashire Council which paid out out £8,782,399 between 2009-2010.

The mileage that Swindon Council allows means that a worker driving 250 miles a year is £62.50 better off than someone receiving the AMAP.

A spokesman for the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “As councils complain that they are cash-strapped, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has discovered that £427 million was paid out in mileage allowances in 2009-10.

“Many of those councils paid up to 65p a mile to staff using their cars.

“Of course most drivers can claim a tax-free allowance from their employers if they use their car for work, but many council employees are receiving well in excess of the HMRC approved rate.

“Motorists are one of the most over taxed groups in the UK and with eye-wateringly high fuel bills, many taxpayers will be angry that they are subsidising council staff to claim 25p a mile more than most ordinary private sector workers get.”

Swindon Borough Council spokesman Kevin Burchall said: “The mileage rates used by the council are negotiated nationally by the Local Government Employers.

“The pay and grading review last year removed essential car user rates and the lump sum allowance, so from April 1 2011 staff have only been allowed to claim the casual user car rates.

“Essential car user lump sum payments have accounted for almost half our total mileage costs so we expect to achieve significant savings in forthcoming years.”

No one from Wiltshire Council was available to comment.