Cr Troy said Ms Bishop’s recent $5000 taxpayer-funded helicopter flight highlights the fact politicians across all tiers of government can use and abuse constituents’ money on unnecessary luxuries, like trips to conferences, which she described as a rip off , boring and a yawn fest.

Cr Troy will call for the conference ban in a notice of motion to next week’s Cessnock City Council meeting.

“People are scrimping and saving and councillors are going off on junkets which are boring, a load of bull and a waste of ratepayers’ money,” Cr Troy said.

“Surely in this day and age councillors could learn as much staying at home and sitting in on a Youtube or Skype link-up.”

She has challenged to councillors across the state to be advocates for their communities and support her boycott.

Cr Troy, who conceded she had attended conferences in the past, said she knew of four councillors at Cessnock who were allocated $3000 each to attend a conference in Sydney.

“By the time you pay for flights, accommodation and guest speakers the costs are phenomenal.

“At some level I would hope some councillors come back better ­community representatives with better knowledge, but judging from the councillors I have seen asleep during these events, I don’t think that is the case.

“If I went to a conference and took photographs of all the sleeping ­politicians I could put together a great pictorial essay, present it to the public and say here’s your money at work.

“There is a genuine desire from most councillors to learn, but the bottom line is that the community just isn’t getting value for money,” Cr Troy said.

“I’ve stood out the front of Cessnock food bank watching people struggle just living day to day.  

“It’s just not right and we are just throwing away the money on these ­conferences that could be put to better use elsewhere.”

Maitland mayor Peter Blackmore said attending conferences should be left to the discretion of individual councillors.

“At these conferences, the idea is to learn and further expand your knowledge of local government and, in particular, take part in the motions which will filter through to the community,” he said.

“You hear a range of speakers and these things do cost, but the right to attend becomes the right of the councillors. You can’t put that conference allocation in your pocket and if it isn’t spent it goes back into general revenue.”

Under Maitland council’s Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities to Councillors policy, councillors are allocated a budget of $4500 and the mayor, $7000, annually for professional development and industry participation.

This includes participation in conferences, training programs, elected member courses and Local Government NSW industry workshops. Money not spent at the end of each financial year expire and are not carried forward to the following year.