Vice Chancellor expenses night at The Ritz when a Holiday Inn is six minutes away

The Vice Chancellor expensed £703.02 for a room at The Ritz, when a hotel was available down the road for half the price.

Between the 5th and the 10th of May 2015 Professor Anton Muscaletti claimed for £703.02 for a Hotel in Santiago, Chile, relating to a university conference.

But the hotel he claimed for was the “Ritz Carlton”, described on the hotel’s own website as “one of Chile’s top luxury hotels, which redefines personal service with a personal passion.”

But we found there was a Holiday Inn Express just a six minute drive from the Ritz Carlton, which would have provided equally easy access to the conference.

For one room on the 5th of May, prices in the Holiday Inn Express are £118, while prices in the Ritz-Carlton start at $339 (equivalent to £238 at the current exchange rate).

This suggests Professor Muscaletti chose a hotel just over twice the price of a seemingly suitable alternative, apparently in contrast with the University’s Expenses Procedures Policy: “Employees are expected to minimise costs without impairing the efficiency of the University and to avoid the University incurring any unnecessary expense.”

We asked the University Press Office to explain Professor Muscaletti’s choice of hotel, but their response was that they “[do] not hold the information that you have requested.”

Prices for one room in the Ritz in May 2016

The equivalent price for one night in the Holiday Inn

But it’s not just Professor Muscaletti that has claimed unusual expenses. Between the 4th and 5th of May 2015, Professor Jonathan Cooper claimed £130 in a return taxi from home to Edinburgh Airport. It does not state where his home is, but it is probable that he could have used public transport for at least some of the journey.

In the University’s Expenses Procedure Policy it states: “Employees may claim reimbursement of the cost of a taxi or private hire vehicle fares (of a standard nature) when it would not be reasonable to take a connecting journey via public transport.”

We contacted the University to ask for further details of this journey and whether public transport was unavailable to Professor Cooper, but they did not hold the information we asked for.

Similarly, between the 23rd of May and the 30th of May 2015, Professor David Fearn claimed £107.89 under “Taxi” in “USA Boston”.

While these sums may not be particularly significant to a large organisation like Glasgow University, the policy procedure points out that it is “a charity and a large recipient of public funds”, and so it is absolutely paramount to adhere to the rules.

Across 2015, for three return trips to Lisbon, Brussels and Singapore, Professor Jonathan Cooper also claimed £3963.83 under “Flights”.

The University Press Office admitted the flight to Singapore was in business class; although the expenses policy does state that business class “may exceptionally be allowed at the discretion of the Head of College if it “enables key employees to utilise their time more effectively.”

Yet ultimately it is up to the University’s students (and particularly those paying fees) whether or not these expenses are ultimately justifiable.

View the rest of the university’s expenses here.