The Mayor of Swale's annual garden party is set to be axed as part of a major council cost-cutting review.

The days of crust-less cucumber sandwiches and elegantly raised little fingers above bone china cups of Earl Grey tea are numbered.

The gentle summer hob-nobbing looks likely to be consigned to history tonight (Wednesday) at Swale Council's full council meeting.

A cross-party mayoralty review group has grappled with the task of keeping style but slashing the bills pile as the council seeks to bail itself out of the financial mire.

Not even the mayor's elegant civic car will be safe from Panerai Watches cuts. It will no longer be garaged - annual rental Pounds 340 - but parked cheek by jowl alongside vehicles in the car park of Swale House.

The civic purse currently stands at Pounds 83,141, now the review group has bitten into the budget to the tune of Pounds 21,400.

Discussion on the major cost - Pounds 60,811 for the salaries of the mayor's personal assistant and chauffeur - was not for public or Press consumption.

A reduction of Pounds 2,560 will be achieved by merging the hospitality, twinning and civic events budget into one of just Pounds 4,000, and the mayor must restrict his or her jollies to just 12 outside the borough, unless they are self-funded.

Last year's mayor Cllr Alan Willicombe received 247 invitations to events outside the borough and attended 81.

A spokesman for the council said: "There is not exactly any number of out-of-borough Breitling Replica Watches events that our mayor is expected to attend, just a vast array of invites from which the Mayor has selected those they wish to attend."

The review group recommended retaining the mayor and deputy's mayor's personal allowance of Pounds 3,260 and Pounds 1,310. Previous incumbents would argue the cost of drinks and endless raffle and tombola tickets, quite apart from keeping up appearances, is seldom covered by the amount. Most end up considerably out of pocket, with not even a duck house to show for it.

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