Travel and Subsistence Policy - People, Digital and Policy - Date: April 2009, Updated EBM/ACE: 14 January 2010, 3 January 2023, February 2025 - Reviewed May 2025 - Review Date: April 2028

Role of the Manager

10. Managers are responsible for actively monitoring the travel arrangements of their team to ensure that only essential journeys are undertaken using the most efficient and cost-effective means of travel.  The Council is aiming to reduce travel and is encouraging the use of “greener” travel and agile/hybrid working options wherever possible.  It reports annually on its carbon emissions from mileage claims. Authorising managers may be asked to confirm how they have satisfied themselves of the reasonableness of their teams’ mileage claims in relation to the Council’s Net Zero Carbon targets.

11. Managers should ensure that team members:

• Have assessed whether the journey is necessary and that the meeting cannot be undertaken via telephone, Microsoft Teams or other online options (See section 4).
• Are utilising the most economic and (where possible) “greenest” forms of transport e.g. electric pool cars, public transport.
• Share transport with their work colleagues when attending the same meeting or event, where appropriate and subject to the latest workplace risk assessments and government guidance.
• Manage their diaries effectively so that meetings can be grouped together on the same day for the same location.
• Work agilely where possible from the location in which the meetings are being held.
• Agree with them in advance when these criteria cannot be met.
• Submit travel claims during the month following the incurring of the expenditure in line with section 11.3 of the Financial Procedure Rules with all information clearly provided. Claims may be rejected if not submitted within this timescale. 
• Authorising managers may be asked to confirm how they have satisfied themselves of the reasonableness of late claims.

12.    Managers and Supervisors, along with the employee undertaking business related driving, must ensure that you have the correct category of licence for the vehicles being driven and the licence is current and up to date.   Service Managers must ensure annual driving licence checks are undertaken and you must cooperate with these checks.