Pollsters Mori have been paid £14,000 to find out what Oxfordshire children's "priorities" are.

Pupils at a handful of county schools were quizzed about the areas in which they live. The majority of children, aged between 10 and 16, said the environment was what mattered most to them.

Now Oxford city, south Oxfordshire and west Oxfordshire district councils -- which are splitting the cost of the exercise -- have been criticised for wasting taxpayers' money. The revelation comes after the Oxford Mail revealed last year how the same company was paid £15,000 to ask 28 people what they thought about living in Oxford.

The cash was spent consulting a panel of residents who revealed that people liked living in the city because Oxford has a strong sense of history and identity, although congestion was a problem.

At an Oxford City Council meetingIndependent Working Class Association member Claire Kent asked Mary Clarkson, the council's executive member for the environment, who had chosen the schools that were included in the survey and why?

She added: "Also, can you ensure that if private companies are used to carry out works on behalf of this council that all party leaders are informed of the works that are to be carried out to prevent this waste of taxpayers' money happening again?"

The survey, carried out earlier this year at three state and two independent schools in Oxford, has cost the city council £6,650.

A council spokesman said the names of the schools which participated could not be revealed because of "data protection."

Ms Clarkson said: "It was the first time we had carried out an exercise like this in the city and -- yes -- there are lessons to be learned.

"But the good thing is that we have gone out and engaged with young people. I don't think this was a waste of money, although we didn't get as much information as we would have liked."

The IWCA has asked for the results of the survey to be destroyed. They claim it is not a true reflection of the issues affecting children in Oxford.

In the Mori survey held last year the council spent taxpayers' money recruiting 36 people for a "community discussion day" at the Town Hall, but just 28 people bothered to turn up.