Lib Dems attack rocketing cost of council offices

1.54.00pm GMT Fri 23rd Jan 2009

North Herts District Council is now planning to spend a massive £10.6 million pounds on new council offices - 40% more than they originally estimated. The revised figures are to be presented to the council's cabinet next week as part of the Council's budget for 2009/10.

The opposition leader, Liberal Democrat Cllr Steve Jarvis, said: "This is an outrageous amount of money for the council to spend on new offices at any time. It looks particularly bad at a time when many people in the district will be finding it hard to make ends meet.

Cllr Steve Jarvis wants North Herts district council to spend money on services, not offices

"The council's papers show the new offices as part of its programme to deliver "satisfied communities". I can't imagine that many people in North Herts will feel greater satisfaction as a result of the council spending nearly £1000 for every resident of the District on a new office building."

The Liberal Democrat group on the council has consistently opposed the decision to move to new offices. Remarkably, Labour councillors have supported the Tory leadership and voted for the move.