Merton’s mayor jetted off to a plush Mediterranean holiday resort last weekend as part of an effort to promote the borough’s profile overseas.

Councillor Oonagh Moulton, who paid for the trip out of her own pocket, flew to Malta on Thursday, March 24, as part of a London Mayor’s Association (LMA) official visit.

According to the LMA’s website, the trip included “return flights with Air Malta and accommodation in the luxury Corinthia Palace hotel”, which provided “lunch and dinner each day inclusive with drinks and wine”.

Before her trip, Coun Moulton said she had been invited to Malta by the country’s High Commission and the visit would be a “great opportunity to put Merton on the map”.

She said: “I am delighted to be part of a London Mayor’s Association trip to Malta and I am looking forward to meeting The British High Commissioner of Malta, the acting President of Malta, Anton Tabone, the Minister for Tourism, and various civic dignitaries including the Mayors of Valletta and Mdina.”

Malta, a fomer British colony until 1964, is the smallest member of the European Union, with a population about 400,000.

The trip also included a visit to top tourist destinations such as St John’s Cathedral, which houses famous artwork such as Caravaggio’s ‘The Beheading of St John’ and the city of Mdina which has an illustrious cathedral and museum.

A spokeswoman from Merton Council did not say how much the trip to Malta would cost, or how many other London mayors would be accompanying Coun Moulton, but insisted she had paid for it herself and it was not being funded by the council in any way.

The councillor, who represents Wimbledon Park ward, is elected as a Conservative but adopts a non-political role during her one-year tenure as Merton's mayor.

Merton's Council’s chief executive, Ged Curran, said: “It is great to fly the flag for Merton in other countries and at no cost to the borough.

“Trips like this serve to increase Merton’s profile, particularly in the run up to the Olympics next year when as a host borough, Merton’s residents and businesses look forward to welcoming an even greater number of overseas tourists here.”