REFURBISHMENT works at Waltham Forest Town Hall on its reception and an "apprentice-style" boardroom have cost £610,000, it has been revealed.
The figures were obtained by opposition Liberal Democrat councillor Liz Phillips, who described the works as a wasteful vanity project by the authority's Labour leadership - a claim it denies.
A council spokesman described the works on the meeting room, which the authority has renamed 'the boardroom', as "fairly minor" and said the work on the reception area was designed to make it more accessible and welcoming.
But Cllr Phillips said: “Whilst there was clearly some need for private meeting spaces for residents, these costs seem exorbitant to me.
“This new boardroom looks like no more than a vanity project so Labour Cabinet members can sit there and pretend to be Alan Sugar."
She added that the money would have been enough to keep open and run Leytonstone's Harrow Green library for four years. The authority closed the facility last year to save money.
It comes two years after a political row broke out over the council's decision to spend £45,000 on refurbishing offices at the town hall, in Forest Road, Walthamstow.
Other refurbishments earlier this year were also criticised by English Heritage as the council failed to apply for planning permission before starting work.
The authority hopes that work at various buildings will save it £1,630,000 by increasing capacity and allowing it to cut down on renting office space elsewhere.
A council spokesman also revealed that the authority expects to make £1.6million by selling off some of its buildings.
He said: “The improvements to the reception area at Waltham Forest Town Hall is just one part of the council’s ongoing drive to make better use of its buildings.
“The improvements have also seen the installation of new meeting rooms behind the reception area allowing private meetings to take place with visitors and residents to discuss personal matters with Council staff in privacy.”
He added: “the works to Meeting Room 6 [now 'the boardroom'] were fairly minor, involving modest improvements such as replacement furniture and carpet and improving IT accessibility.”
Click here to follow the Waltham Forest Guardian on Twitter
Click here to follow the Waltham Forest Guardian on Facebook
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel