A consultation asking residents what they want the council to spend its money on is expected to cost taxpayers over £23,500, it has emerged.

The authority launched the new 'Make it Count' campaign earlier this year to gauge the public's views on what its priorities should be for the next two years.

In response to a Freedom of Information request by the Guardian, the council said exactly 1,500 residents had taken part in an online survey and street stall questionnaires - less than 1 per cent of the borough's population.

More than £17,500 has been spent so far on the consultation, which has now closed, on costs including advertising, posters, street stalls and internet promotion.

The council says it expects to spend a further £6,000 on "feeding back the results of the conversation to residents".

Last year the authority came under fire for spending £18,000 on a promotional campaign highlighting its response to cuts in funding from the government, and £27,000 on a similar 'Make it Count' campaign the year before.

A council spokeswoman said: "With the Olympics happening as we speak, the council’s current set of priorities are becoming out of date, so it is timely to revise these and sense check the areas we focus on with our residents.

"The council’s core role is to deliver services that matter most to our residents, so it is vital our priority areas are based on their views."

She added that the initial phaseof the campaign was expected to cost £19,000, plus a £5,000 contingency, so the initial £17,500 spending had come in under-budget.

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