MORE than £15,000 was spent last year on state-of-the-art BlackBerry mobile phones for 95 senior council employees. figures reveal.

The handsets, which cost about £300 each, allow users to send and receive emails and surf the internet, as well as make calls and send texts.

The figure was revealed when the council opened of its accounts to the public, which it is duty bound to do once a year.

Some residents questioned whether the expenditure, which is the equivalent of a year’s salary for a school classroom assistant, was worth it.

Toby Walne said the council had been ‘wasteful’ and ‘arrogant’ by spending so much money on the mobile phones.

The father of two, whose son and daughter attend Churchfields Primary School, believes the cash could have more effectively used elsewhere.

He said: “I think it’s appaling that they’ve wasted this money when there are so many more pressing things they should be dealing with.

“We heard recently that the rebuilding of my children’s school has been put off yet again because of lack of funding, and yet the council seems to be able to find enough to buy a load of expensive phones for themselves.

“This decision is just another sign that the council is out of touch with the wishes of the community, or simply doesn’t care.”

These views were shared by Anna Smart, of Northumberland Avenue, Aldersbrook, who was also angered by the council’s £45,000 expenditure on bottled water for staff.

She said: “£15,000 might not be a lot of money from the council’s point of view, but for the average family it is a huge sum.

“That money, combined with the £45,000 they spent on water, could pay for a couple of experienced school teachers, or a new headteacher for one of our schools.

“Lots of people are struggling to make ends meet at the moment, but the council just seems to think they’re immune to this.”

A council spokeswoman said: “Only 95 council officers out of over 8,000 employees have access to, and use, a BlackBerry.

“BlackBerrys are not given out lightly to officers, and each officer who has one has to make a business case as to why they require one.

“They are often used by officers who are needed on remote sites and have to email back vital information to the office.

“They also increase productivity and efficiency across the council.”

The council’s full accounts can be viewed online at redbridge.gov.uk