A BANK account used by the mayor of Carterton could be inspected by an independent auditor after concerns were raised about how it was being used.

Two weeks ago the Witney Gazette revealed that Carterton Town Council’s clerk, Ron Spurs, had submitted a formal complaint against mayor Lynn Little and councillor Phil Scott to the monitoring officer at West Oxfordshire District Council.

Now Mr Spurs has confirmed that he has asked for a full audit of the ‘Mayor’s Allowance Account’, used to pay for goods and services for civic events.

In a letter to the independent auditor, Mr Spurs states this account was formerly managed by council staff but that Mrs Little, after becoming mayor, took total control – leading to some decisions that have concerned him.

Mrs Little has not responded to repeated requests for comments.

Mr Scott said yesterday he had not been given the details of the complaint and therefore declined to comment on the issue.

Mr Spurs told the Witney Gazette: “I can confirm that I have asked for a full audit of the Carterton Town Mayor Allowance Account, which will be carried out by the council’s internal auditor.

“This action was instigated following discussions with the monitoring officer at West Oxfordshire District Council.”

Concerns raised about the bank account in Mr Spurs’ communications with the internal auditor include claims a payment of £4,000 was made to ‘Ted Little’s Veteran’s Home’.

This body, Mr Spurs said, is not registered with the Charity Commission and the council has not been informed of the governance of the project, who the signatories are or what charitable objectives the body has.

Mr Spurs added in his letter to the auditor that Mrs Little is the only signatory of the account.

Another concern raised with the auditor involved 15 tickets for a St George’s Day Dinner held earlier this year being given away for free.

These were allegedly given to Mrs Little’s relatives, members of the RAF, representatives from two companies and the ‘wife of a local celebrity’.

Some helpers at the event did pay for their tickets.

Town council officers were not involved in the decisions regarding free tickets.

The mayor’s actions, according to Mr Spurs, represented a significant reduction in the potential income for the event, which sold tickets for £40.

The audit request follows a complaint lodged against Mrs Little and Mr Scott in which Mr Spurs raised a number of concerns over the behaviour of the councillors, including the management of himself and other council staff, and the use of resources within the town hall.

There is no suggestion that Mr Scott was involved with the operation of the bank account or had any involvement with the St George’s Day event tickets.

Mr Spurs said that trust had broken down and revealed a number of ways in which processes within the council should be improved.

Mr Spurs said at the time of the complaint that Mrs Little still had his support as mayor.