A Tory councillor who made duplicate expenses claims has paid back more public money.

Councillor Stephen Clee is a cabinet member at both Worcestershire County Council and Wyre Forest District Council.

Last week your Worcester News revealed that he had paid back nearly £100 in expenses to the county council after an investigation showed he had made duplicate mileage claims on eight separate occasions. Now the Worcester News has discovered Coun Clee has also paid back £51 of public money to the Wyre Forest.

He was unavailable for comment but has previously said that the duplicate claims were an honest mistake.

Meanwhile, the former councillor who first uncovered evidence of the issue has criticised the county council for suggesting its own internal systems had spotted the errors.

Former opposition leader John Buckley led an investigation into councillors' expenses in late 2008 and early 2009.

In a letter to the Worcester News Mr Buckley says he was “astonished” to read of council officers insisting that their checking procedures are “thorough and robust”.

He writes: “It is well-documented it was me who discovered the errors and submitted a report in February 2009 illustrating the deficiency in the procedures and checks.

“During my investigation I endured great resistance from the council who would have preferred this matter was kept away from the public. It should also be known the eventual findings do not agree with my submission.”

But a statement issued by the council said: “The duplicate claims were uncovered as a result of close working arrangements between the county council and Wyre Forest District Council. John Buckley has previously raised concerns about the procedures and these have been fully investigated. This culminated in a detailed report and procedures have been changed.”

Newly-released expenses forms reveal Tory county council leader George Lord made a further four return taxi journeys from his Bromsgrove home to meetings in Birmingham between April and July, 2008.

Last September we revealed that Coun Lord had spent £245 on taxi trips to Birmingham during the 2007-08 financial year. At that time he said that taxi journeys were “the most appropriate form of public transport” for him to take.

His 2008-09 expenses show that while he spent a further £160 of public money on taxi journeys between April and July last year, he has made no further claims since the publication of our story.