Tories accuse Labour of excessive office costs
Labour has spent around a billion pounds refurbishing government departments since coming to power, the Conservative Party claims.
The estimate is based on answers to parliamentary questions obtained by George Osborne, the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, reports the Sunday Telegraph.
The programme of refurbishment since 1997 includes £101 million for renovations at the Foreign Office, £105 million at the Cabinet Office, £33 million at the Department of Transport and £24 million at Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Conservatives say that officials spent another £40 million on furniture and other items for nine departments, including a £50,000 outlay for plants at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
The figures do not include the cost of major ongoing renovations at the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury and Mr Osbourne reportedly is currently waiting to receive further information on costs from two government departments.
The Conservatives claim that the average British citizen has had to work five days since 1997 to foot the alleged bill. They say the money spent on Government refurbishments could have paid for either 45,000 nurses or 40,000 teachers, 35,000 police, 40,000 soldiers or more than 200,000 hip replacements.
Commenting on the figures, Conservative leader Michael Howard said: “Nothing could better symbolise Labour’s cavalier and wasteful use of taxpayer’s money.”
“This is a government that wastes and wastes and wastes again. For this government office comfort comes top of the list. For us cutting waste and value for taxpayer’s money comes top of the list.”
But Labour chairman, Ian McCartney accused the Conservatives of producing “fantasy figures” and claimed that Mr Howard had overseen an extensive refurbishment of the Home Office during his time as Home Secretary.
“The person who decided the old Home Office wasn’t adequate for his needs was none other than Michael Howard,” said Mr McCartney.
“The Tories spent billions on building new departments. Not to mention the disastrous history of the Department of the Environment whose refurbishment went so badly wrong,” he added.
