Council blows £850,000 on 'new democratic centre' - featuring meeting room with SIX giant TVs

[dutchman]

The public funds were spent against a background of service cuts



Coventry town hall bosses spent £850,000 of public money creating a “new democratic centre” - including a meeting room fitted out with SIX giant flatscreen TVs and a massive projector.

The jaw-dropping bill relates to the relocation of ‘Committee Room Three’, where the city council’s planning and cabinet meetings are held.

The meeting room has moved from Civic Centre Two, which has been sold to Coventry University, to the main Council House building on the opposite side of Earl Street.

The changes are tied into plans to relocate some functions of the council to the new £40m council headquarters at Friargate, by Coventry railway station.

Work which has taken place included converting the former banking hall within the Council House into two large committee rooms, creating two smaller meeting rooms on the ground floor and reconfiguring the entrance hall reception.

Improvements were also made to toilets, decorative ceilings and specially-commissioned windows with Coventry-related artwork were installed.

The council said the level of the bill was partly down to the fact the Council House is a listed building, and insisted the move to Friargate would save the local authority money in the long run.

Details of the refurbishment costs come as the council aims to make £36m of savings by 2020 having already delivered cuts totalling £95m since 2010 which have severely impacted on services and staff numbers.

[rebbonk]

Rather naughty of them!