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.
Discuss this and other political matters in the 'Politics in Worcester' section of our Your Say forums here.9:45am Monday 12th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: chippie, Worcester on 10:03am Mon 12 May 08
Pity some money couldn't have been spent on providing more car parking spaces - all very well bringing extra people in - where are they supposed to park - nightmare for employees every day to find somewhere to park.
Pity some money couldn't have been spent on providing more car parking spaces - all very well bringing extra people in - where are they supposed to park - nightmare for employees every day to find somewhere to park.
Posted by: local resident, worcester on 11:42am Mon 12 May 08
Why do they want to watch television when they are supposed to be working. I cant afford £1,100 for a tv why should they spend our money like this. I suppose they have sky as well, even though this is supposed to be a place of work. It is evident how much work actually gets done there.
Selling properties, money should be ploughed into services, not extras.
Definite waste of tax payers money and a betrayal of the people who voted for them.
Why do they want to watch television when they are supposed to be working. I cant afford £1,100 for a tv why should they spend our money like this. I suppose they have sky as well, even though this is supposed to be a place of work. It is evident how much work actually gets done there.
Selling properties, money should be ploughed into services, not extras.
Definite waste of tax payers money and a betrayal of the people who voted for them.
Posted by: Dewbre, worcester on 7:17pm Mon 12 May 08
[quote][bold]chippie[/bold] wrote:
Pity some money couldn't have been spent on providing more car parking spaces - all very well bringing extra people in - where are they supposed to park - nightmare for employees every day to find somewhere to park.[/quote] Well said Chippie, anyone who works or visits County Hall will know all about the difficulty in getting a car park space........
chippie wrote:
Pity some money couldn't have been spent on providing more car parking spaces - all very well bringing extra people in - where are they supposed to park - nightmare for employees every day to find somewhere to park.
Well said Chippie, anyone who works or visits County Hall will know all about the difficulty in getting a car park space........
Posted by: ladyluck, worcester on 9:15pm Mon 12 May 08
is this a big wind up, more of tax payers money being squandered and we can barely afford to eat or keep a roof over our heads. can i just ask if the old stuff got recycled or dont this apply to fat cats. who are they trying to impress anyway? certainly not me or anyone else i know.
is this a big wind up, more of tax payers money being squandered and we can barely afford to eat or keep a roof over our heads. can i just ask if the old stuff got recycled or dont this apply to fat cats. who are they trying to impress anyway? certainly not me or anyone else i know.
Posted by: Stan Parr, Pershore on 11:03pm Mon 12 May 08
Traditionally, in every town in England, the best building in town has always been the Town Hall!
Their brains don't function in squalid surroundings!
(They don't function much in posh ones - but that's another subject!)
I do know that they don't like our barbed comments - they wound, I am told! They are trying their best, I am assured of that - so where does the whole thing go pear-shaped?
Councils are not run like a Limited Company, or they would go bust, so something's wrong somewhere.
I do wish we could sort it - once and for all.
Traditionally, in every town in England, the best building in town has always been the Town Hall!
Their brains don't function in squalid surroundings!
(They don't function much in posh ones - but that's another subject!)
I do know that they don't like our barbed comments - they wound, I am told! They are trying their best, I am assured of that - so where does the whole thing go pear-shaped?
Councils are not run like a Limited Company, or they would go bust, so something's wrong somewhere.
I do wish we could sort it - once and for all.
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