Even the sweetest-toothed Suffolk council tax payer may feel slightly sick after news emerged that their bills have paid for county council staff to take morale-boosting courses in chocolate-making.
Suffolk county council - which faces issues ranging from an influx of migrant workers to a surge in housing developments - admitted it had spent £6,000 on team-building pursuits that, in addition to chocolate-making classes at £150 per person, have included drumming, singing and "hilltop activities".
"These activities make up just a small part of the team-building programme, designed to get forward-thinking and motivated staff involved in further improving services," a spokeswoman for the council said.
The Tory-led authority has already drawn fire for paying its new chief executive a £220,000 salary - £70,000 more than his predecessor.
Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers really struggle to pay their bills and to see their money frittered away on ridiculous activities like this is insulting."
Council tax already has a sticky history in Suffolk. In 2002, the authority's Labour-Lib Dem administration voted to increase it by 18%.
