LibDem-run Kingston Council have approved spending of nearly £1,000,000 to refurbish kitchens and bathrooms in their Guildhall 2 building, which they have plans to sell for redevelopment.
The budget request of £980, 000 was rubber stamped at the recent Corporate and Resources Committee meeting. The committee was advised that the £980,000 cost was only an initial quotation received from am contractor, so the costs might rise ‘as the initial stages of the project develop’.
Conservative councillor Ian George said: “We have been advised that Kingston Council plan to sell off Guildhall 2 to a developer to build flats on the site. To spend a million pounds on upgrading kitchens and bathrooms for a temporary office is very concerning. Hard pressed Council Tax payers will rightly be concerned that LibDem-run Kingston Council is not being more careful in spending their money.
“If anything, we could do with more public toilets. The LibDems say they are hard up, yet they are literally flushing a million pounds away.”
