While four astronauts aboard the Artemis II Orion capsule make their historic 238,855-mile journey to the Moon, it appears staff at Westmorland and Furness Council have been undertaking a moon shot mission of their own — right here in Cumbria over the last year.
New figures reveal that 1,757 council employees claimed travel expenses covering 2,192,179 miles during the 2025/26 financial year. That distance is the equivalent of making four and a half return trips to the Moon.
The total cost to taxpayers? A sizeable £915,122.16, reimbursed to staff using private vehicles to carry out their duties across the region.
The council insists the claims are necessary and tightly controlled. In a statement, a spokesperson said:
“Expenses are genuine business-related costs, which allow our employees to carry out their duties effectively. They are reimbursed at the agreed value and are not a benefit. All items claimed must be covered by the procedure and all expenses should be kept to a minimum.”
Staff are also encouraged to reduce both costs and environmental impact. The council added:
“All employees have the responsibility to ensure that the Council reduces its carbon emissions and the costs related to travel. Before undertaking any journey, all employees should consider if there are alternative means such as video conferencing, email, telecommunications or e-learning rather than a face-to-face meeting.”
They also noted that public transport should be used “where practical and economically viable”.
The figures come at a time when global attention is fixed firmly on space exploration. A spokesperson for NASA recently confirmed that the Artemis II programme — that will see the four astronauts travel around the Moon and back to earth going further than any human has ever done, in space that is! — is expected to cost around $90 billion.
While the scale of those ambitions dwarfs any local authority budget, the comparison highlights just how much mileage is being clocked up closer to home.
One thing is certain: whether in space or on Cumbria’s roads, the miles are adding up.
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