UNION reps are given more than £100k every year by Reading Borough Council, it has been revealed. Now a low taxation campaign group have has slammed the council for passing union fees on to taxpayers.

The Labour authority pays for three full-time reps but claims back the funds for one of them from schools.

The council pays £65k out of their its own pocket for a Unite and Unison member whilst claiming £65k back from schools in the borough who which request a NUT representative.

Alex Wild, the research director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Trade unions are voluntary bodies of members and so should only receive the support of those members, not taxpayers.

“A huge amount continues to fund union duties, often without the express knowledge or consent of taxpayers, which simply isn’t right.”

“At a time when every part of the public sector has to make necessary savings, tens of millions of pounds cannot be wasted on subsidising political campaigns at the expense of hard-pressed families.”

Across the UK councils spend more than £14.6m on ‘facility time’ for trade unions. Reading’s bill represents 0.1 per cent of the council’s total pay costs.

Jo Lovelock, leader of Reading Borough Council, said councils across the country had facilities agreements to fund union reps.

“The reason we do this is because we recognise it’s better to have someone with expertise,” she said.

“We need to have people working on supporting staff going through issues in the work place.

“The reps look at a whole range of things, including working on employment policies.

“It’s much better to have people doing that on a continuous basis for the continuity it offers.

“It would be more disruptive to release people on an ad-hoc basis.”

Neighbouring Wokingham Borough Council does not pay anything to trade unions whilst Conservative Bracknell Forest pays £24k every year.