A council's long-running efforts to reclaim more than £4,000 from its former leader has been described as a "running sore".
Officials at Leicestershire County Council said former Tory leader David Parsons has failed to pay money back after claiming the cost of chauffeured transport to and from airports for European travel.
Councillor Parsons disputes the total amount.
The council's corporate governance committee met on Wednesday to discuss the issue. It invoiced Coun Parsons for the sum in October.
County Hall said he claimed expenses for 39 trips to Europe while, as leader, he was sitting on the EU's Committee of the Regions.
Officers said he should have repaid the money to the council. On Wednesday, council solicitor David Morgan said authority lawyers were in negotiations with Coun Parsons's legal representatives.
Members said they thought it was important to bring the matter to a conclusion, for the good of the council's reputation.
Committee chairman David Snartt said: "It's a running sore, in my view."
Coun Parsons stepped down as county council leader in the summer after being found to have broken codes of conduct over his European travel expense.
He went on to quit the council's Conservative Group and announce he would not seek re-election in May. He was not available for comment.
