Pool car users are clocking up on average 20k miles per month, helping the Council save money by reducing the number of business miles being claimed.

Research undertaken by Fleet Services highlighted that collectively staff claim for around 2.5m business miles per year - the equivalent of driving 100 times around the globe – which costs the Council nearly £1m annually.

To help save money, the Council of the Future Smart Working, Smart Travel project was launched, and 60 petrol and 12 electric pool vehicles are now being utilised across services.

Pat Taggart, Fleet Manager, and Council of the Future Smart Working, Smart Travel Project Manager, said: “Council employees are starting to see the benefits of using pool cars rather than their own vehicle. Not only does it save wear and tear on their own car, it means they’re no longer out of pocket each month paying for petrol upfront.

“However, we understand that asking people to stop using their own vehicle during working hours is a big change for some, and more work needs to be undertaken to get full buy-in across services. Talks are ongoing with service managers across all divisions to ensure pool cars meet their needs. If they don’t, we’ll investigate alternative approaches to help reduce business mileage claims.”

Later this month (December), the pool car fleet will expand to include a further eight electric vehicles and additional petrol cars are expected to be introduced in the next financial year.

Pat said: “The Council faces tough financial times, with a projected £60m+ funding gap needing to be bridged over the next five years. By using the pool cars staff are playing a part in helping the Council save money.

“It’s heartening to see so many employees have already embraced using the pool cars. As more vehicles come on board, and staff start to fully utilise the full fleet, there will be a significant reduction in business mileage claims being made and this could help the Council save a substantial amount of money.”