Expenditure on Tea and Biscuits in Council Meetings - Find a freedom of information request

1. Please provide me with an anonymised copy of the request from the Taxpayers Alliance relating to the expenditure on tea and biscuits in council meetings that is referred to in this 'story':

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7642991/Councils-fork-300-000-tea-biscuits.html

a. Please provide the response given.

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request. The information you have requested is set out below. Following the original release of the information some further analysis was undertaken to estimate consumption by councillors only at committee meetings. This was estimated to be £3,993.93, or 24.95% of the total cost originally quoted.

The request relating to the expenditure on tea and biscuits in council meetings is as follows:

1. Please can you tell me how much was spent on tea and biscuits at council committee meetings over the course of the year?

2. What type of biscuits and brand of tea were supplied?

3. If the information is held centrally and will not exceed cost requirements, could you please provide me with the equivalent figures for departmental meetings too?

The response given was as follows:

1. A total of £16,003.37 was spent on the supply of tea and coffee to the council's committee rooms during 2018. Drinks are available for councillors, council officers, representatives from partner organisations and members of the public attending council meetings

2. The council doesn't provide biscuits at meetings. PG Tips is the brand of tea supplied.

3. This information isn't held centrally. As indicated above, some departmental meetings involving officers are held in council meeting rooms where drinks machines are available.