MORE than £6,000 has been spent on team-building exercises including chocolate-making and drumming lessons, The Evening Star can reveal today.As part of changes to the internal structure of the council around 50 officers took part in one of four activity days.

MORE than £6,000 has been spent on team-building exercises including chocolate-making and drumming lessons, The Evening Star can reveal today.

As part of changes to the internal structure of the council around 50 officers took part in one of four activity days.

A chocolate-making day, drumming and singing lessons all took place at Ipswich's St Nicholas Centre on separate days while a “hilltop” activity day was also held with accommodation and travel costs

footed by the tax payer.

The cost of the activities ranged from £88 per person for drumming to £197 per person for the hilltop activity.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said: “These activities make up just a small part of the team-building programme, designed to get forward-thinking and motivated staff involved in further improving services.

“The staff taking part will also be involved in various business challenges related to their own areas of work such as highways and social care.”

She added that the activities are geared towards a change in the way the council operates that will take effect next month.

Officers from different directorates will begin to work together in a “matrix model” under the “securing the future” programme.