Hotels are good for the environment!

Now here's a rather interesting thing, the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs, like many Government departments, spunks money up the wall on hotel accommodation, but figures released on the hotel spend by Ministers, special advisers and officials shows quite an interesting spike.

I can't imagine what happened in the months after April 2007 that might account for a four-fold leap in hotel spending, I doubt it had anything to do with a profligate spender of public money leaving the Treasury and going into Downing Street though - amusing correlation that it may be none the less.

Note: the last figure is only for six months, so the eventual twelve month figure will problably be up on the previous year.

Update: The Government says the spike in 2007 was due to Foot and Mouth and the need for people to stay in hotels. What they don't say is why the figure didn't drop the following year and appears to have just continued to rise even though less nights are being booked in hotels.