Taxpayers paid £6,000 for the Department for Transport civil servants to stay at a luxury Barcelona hotel for an IT conference.
Officials booked six rooms at the upmarket Claris Hotel & Spa for the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2024 event in November.
The lavish accommodation features a rooftop bar, swimming pool, spa facilities and two high-end restaurants offering Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine.
The Barcelona trip came shortly after then Transport Secretary Louise Haigh approved a 15 per cent pay rise for train drivers, The Sun reports.
Officials booked six rooms at the upmarket Claris Hotel & Spa for the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2024 event in November
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The Government credit card spending report revealed one room was booked for five nights at a cost of £1,247.
Four additional rooms were reserved for four-night stays, each costing £997.
A sixth room was booked for three nights at £748.
The luxury hotel is situated in Barcelona's city centre, 3.5 miles from the conference venue.
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While six rooms were initially booked, it is understood that only five staff members ultimately stayed at the hotel after one dropped out.
Elliot Keck, of The TaxPayers Alliance, criticised the expenditure, stating: "Taxpayers will be livid to see civil servants living it up in luxury hotels on their dime."
A Department for Transport spokesman defended the bookings, saying: "As thousands of rooms had been block-booked by conference organisers, the Claris was one of the cheapest remaining options."
This comes after a report revealed that Civil Service middle management has doubled in size since 2010, with costs ballooning to almost £2billion per year.
Civil Service middle management has doubled in size since 2010, with costs ballooning to almost £2billion per year
PAThe report highlights how officials are being given promotions as a way to circumvent pay restrictions and prevent staff departures to the private sector, The Telegraph has revealed.
The analysis revealed a staggering 112 per cent increase in Grade Six and Grade Seven positions since 2010.
There are now almost 78,000 mandarins in these roles, who receive salaries between £50,000 and £60,000 depending on their department. The senior Civil Service has also seen significant growth, with a 47 per cent increase since 2010. This expansion means one in 67 civil servants now occupies the top ranks, compared to one in 100 in 2010.
Despite the growth in senior positions, median salaries for mandarins have fallen in real terms over 15 years, dropping by 22 per cent for senior roles.
