City of London Corporation repaid £11,600 in miscoded travel costs

The City of London Corporation repaid nearly £11,600 in travel expenses after mistakenly billing them to its City Fund. The costs, which included luxury hotel stays in Tokyo, Singapore and Beijing, were identified during a year-end review and corrected in April 2026.

A spokesperson for the Corporation told MyLondon that no taxpayer money was used to cover the expenses. The costs were reallocated to the correct budget at the earliest opportunity. The Corporation’s City Fund is partly funded by retained business rates and council tax from residents and businesses in the Square Mile.

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Luxury stays and miscoding errors

The miscoded expenses included a £1,725.22 stay at the Shangri-La Tokyo hotel on 15 September 2025. Other entries listed in the City Fund accounts for 2025/26 included two stays at Taj Hotels in January 2026, each costing £791.72, and a £853.93 stay at the Shanghai New Union Building.

The most expensive single entry was a £5,630.19 stay at a Radisson Blu Hotel. Additional costs included £638.52 at the Goodwood Park Hotel, £578.06 at the Hotel Diplomat in Stockholm, and £312.58 at the St Regis Beijing. Foreign exchange fees linked to the bookings totalled £265.61.

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The expenses were initially recorded under the ‘Mansion House’ department, which supports the Lord Mayor’s role. Alderman Alastair King served as Lord Mayor until November 2025, when Alderwoman Susan Langley succeeded him. The Lord Mayor’s office is responsible for promoting the City of London’s financial sector overseas.

Corporation responds to errors

A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation said the miscoded costs were identified during a routine review. The Corporation re-charged all expenses in full in April 2026. The spokesperson added that new controls have been introduced to prevent similar errors in future.

These costs were not met by taxpayers. All costs relate to our international promotion of the UK's financial and professional services sector, which is coordinated alongside the UK Government and industry.

City of London Corporation spokesperson

The spokesperson told MyLondon that the trips were part of the Corporation’s work to promote the UK’s financial services sector internationally. The sector contributes around 12% of total UK tax receipts, generating £110 billion annually and supporting 2.5 million jobs across the country.

What happens next

The City of London Corporation has not announced further changes to its expense policies. The corrected transactions will appear in the finalised 2025/26 accounts. Residents can view the Corporation’s monthly expenditure reports, which include all spending over £500, on its website.