text: Council bosses spent more than £7,000 on a lavish three-course Christmas banquet and disco for staff as a last blow-out before the local authority shut up shop. Ards Borough Council in Northern Ireland, which will merge with its neighbouring authority next week, put on the taxpayer-funded dinner to ‘maintain morale’ and to encourage workers to do a good job. Staff feasted on roast turkey and potatoes cooked in duck fat before moving to the dance floor at the party, which was adorned with almost £500 worth of balloons and Christmas crackers. Ards Borough Council (offices pictured) spent more than £7,000 on a lavish three-course Christmas banquet and disco for staff . The Christmas party (file picture) is the first the council has hosted in recent years, and will be their last as the authority no longer exists after a merger with its neighbour . Council chiefs paid £5,225 for caterers for the dinner in December last year at the Queens Hall in Newtonards, County Down, with hire of the venue costing £265.80. A further £950 was spent on a photo booth, disco and security for the 190 staff at the Christmas do, with nearly £500 spent on festive decorations. The council recouped £1,920 of the £7,280.85 costs from deposits from workers who attended the party. The three-course menu, revealed to MailOnline under Freedom of Information laws, started with carrot and coriander soup, served with freshly baked bread and herb butters. Staff had a choice of roast turkey with baked ham and sage and onion stuffing, or Irish salmon with tarragon and white wine sauce for their main course. Both were served with duck fat roast potatoes and root vegetables. There was no vegetarian option. For dessert, workers could have either sticky toffee pudding and vanilla ice cream or keep with tradition and have Christmas pudding with brandy custard. Tea and coffees were also served. Starter . Carrot and coriander soup with freshly baked bread and herb butters . Mains . Roast turkey with baked ham, sage and onion stuffing and gravy . Baked Irish salmon with tarragon and white wine sauce . Both served with duck fat roast potatoes and root vegetables . Desserts . Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream . Christmas pudding with brandy custard . Tea and coffee . The Christmas party is the first the council has hosted in recent years, and will be their last as the local authority merged with North Down Borough Council on April 1. The council said the dinner was ‘a one-off initiative supported by the council to thank staff for their dedication and hard work over many years and to acknowledge that this was the last year of Ards Borough Council’. The local authority added that funding was approved as ‘the event would maintain morale’ and ‘encourage continued high quality service delivery’. Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Christmas is expensive enough for hard-pressed taxpayers without picking up the bill for somebody else's party. 'When we're trying to make big savings right across local and central government, wasteful spending like this is totally unacceptable. Those who signed off the spending must be held accountable.' Meanwhile Newry and Mourne Council, also in Northern Ireland, has spent £10,700 on staff Christmas parties over the last three years, which included subsidising drinks so workers paid just £1 a pint. The £1 drinks ‘happy hour’ ran from 7pm to 11pm each year at the parties, which cost the taxpayer £3,500 in 2012 and 2013, and £3,700 in 2014. Staff feasted on a three-course Christmas dinner before moving to the dance floor at the party (file picture) Newry and Mourne Council (offices pictured) has spent £10,700 on staff Christmas parties over the last three years, including subsidising drinks so workers paid just £1 a pint . This included a three-year total of £6,800 on catering and refreshments, £1,750 on ‘entertainment’ and £850 on security. An Ards Borough Council spokeswoman said: ‘An event was hosted to recognise the hard work and dedication over the years of all members of staff in the organisation who had worked tirelessly to maintain the high standards and quality of those living in the Borough of Ards have come to expect. ‘Due to the reform, morale among staff was low and this event was seen as a way of maintaining morale through a significant period of change. ‘This was a one-off event and staff contributed £10 each towards the cost, meaning that the dinner and entertainment cost £26.37 a person - £5,010.85 in total.’ Newry and Mourne Council did not comment.
target: Ards Council spent £7,000 on three-course Christmas dinner and disco .
  Staff feasted on roast turkey with all the trimmings - paid for by taxpayers .
  Almost £500 was spent on balloons and Christmas crackers for the party .
  Celebration was to 'maintain staff morale' as the council was closing down .