A
n “astonishing” £2.5 million has been spent on “loose furnishings” at the Assembly Government’s new offices in Llandudno.
It means items like desks and chairs have cost the taxpayer more than the total cost of all “preparatory work and design fees” during Stage 1 of the development, which cost £2.2 million.
The figures have been obtained by South Wales Central AM Andrew RT Davies, who has also been told that £1.3 million has gone on “IT” and £1.4 million on further “professional fees”. Both those figures also exclude VAT.
It means for each person who could work at the new offices, an average of approximately £12,000 has been spent on furniture, design and IT.
Mr Davies said: “We all need somewhere to sit and work in the office but spending 2.5 million on desks, chairs and presumably deluxe sofas, is completely unforgiveable.
“How on earth can you justify spending that kind of sum on luxurious loose furnishings, when hundreds of millions of pounds are being cut from the National Health Service at the same time?
“The Labour-Plaid Government needs to get its priorities right. Treat patients and save lives or overspend on comfy seats for civil servants? I know what I would do. The First Minister obviously thinks differently.
“It’s no wonder the UK was brought to the brink of bankruptcy by Labour. This is just another example of their incredible overspending and atrocious budget management.”
Shadow Minister for Finance, Nick Ramsay AM, said: “The Labour-Plaid Llandudno offices, which are long overdue, have been mired by dithering and bloated relocation payments.
“Now we find out how much they cost to fit out. The figure is astonishing.
“Every day since the CSR we have heard constant whinging from the First Minister over a budget settlement for Wales that is far, far better than he was planning for.
“Will he now accept that the only reason we have any reduction at all is because of this kind of Labour overspending?”
