Vital work – or waste of taxpayers’ money?

9:45am Monday 12th May 2008

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By Jack Blanchard »

COUNTY Hall's new £847,000 council chamber opened on time this week amid continuing accusations about the misuse of taxpayers' money.

The chamber's refurbishment represents the 14th and final part of the £3.1 million overhaul of County Hall, which began back in 2005 and has seen the number of Worcestershire County Council staff housed there double to 1,400.

The refurbishment of the chamber - shown here in our exclusive pictures - has proved by far the most controversial part of the scheme, with costs having spiralled by more than a third from an initial £620,000 and including £103,000 spent on audio-visual equipment to broadcast meetings on big screens and over the internet.

Opposition councillors have slammed the new-look chamber as "a gross waste of taxpayers' funds." But Tory Councillor Stephen Clee, the cabinet member for corporate services who is behind the project, said the work was long overdue.

"It's been a long haul and I'm delighted to be here with the building finished," he said. "This place had not been touched for more than 30 years and now we have a modern, fit-for-purpose space for our staff - and we got it done on time. This will be an asset for the county for many years to come."

Coun Clee pointed to figures suggesting an overall profit has been made on County Hall's refurbishment, as it has allowed the council to sell off five city centre premises for around £3.9 million by moving more staff on-site. The council also estimates it will save some £270,000 a year through reduced costs.

But Liberal Democrat leader councillor Tom Wells said this was no excuse for spending so much cash on the councillors' own meeting rooms. "I can see the argument for updating our office space, to improve working conditions and efficiency for our staff," he said. "But to spend nearly £1 million on the council chamber at a time when the council is cutting back on front-line services is self-indulgent in the extreme. The old chamber was perfectly adequate for meetings."

He pointed out that a further £282,700 of taxpayers' money has been spent on refurbishing the members' private areas, including the purchase of a £1,100 LCD TV for council leader George Lord's office and expensive plasma screens for the members' lounge.

"No wonder the public have such little respect for local government and councillors, when this sort of thing goes on," he said.

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