Cornwall Council has come under fire for sending chief executive Kevin Lavery on a £5,000 'personal development' trip to New York – paid for by the taxpayer.

The council is to axe 2,000 jobs and cut £170m from its budget over the next four years, but it sent Mr Lavery on a four-day seminar for his role as a Fellow with the Wharton Business School at Pennsylvania University.

Mr Lavery spent three nights at a £200-a-night hotel, so the cost of his attendance at the seminar totalled £4,500 – with a further £500 being spent on a return flight from Heathrow.

Cornwall Council has defended the trip claiming it was 'all above board' but admitted it was for 'personal development'.

Lib Dem councillor for Launceston Alex Folkes said: 'I have no problem whatsoever with members of staff – right from the chief executive down to the cleaner – undergoing career development which will help them in their role and benefit the taxpayer.

'But as far as I can tell this trip had no merit whatsoever for residents here and simply provided Mr Lavery with a chance to pad out his CV with no benefit to the taxpayers of Cornwall whatsoever.'

The £5,000 payment for the trip was authorised by the council's director of finance and with the knowledge of council leader Alec Robertson.

A Cornwall Council spokesman said: 'The fee and expenses were paid for by the council.

'His participation was part of his personal development and was properly approved.

'It was and remains the only training Mr Lavery has undertaken since joining Cornwall Council.'