John
06-11-2010, 07:09 AM
A Government department spent more than £134,000 on luxury sofas intended to create a "peaceful oasis" in the workplace, an anti-waste drive has revealed.
An investigation into Whitehall spending by new coalition Government found Labour ministers authorised officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government to buy 28 of the sofas at a cost of £4,120 each.
The shocking-red "Alcove Highback" sofas, by Parisian designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, were ordered for the department's central London headquarters at a total cost of £134,503.
They were part of a an efficiency initiative called "SpaceFlex" to make the department "more practical" and save money, but new Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said it showed Labour's "total disregard" for the public purse.
"As sure as day turns to night, Labour governments waste your money," Mr Pickles said. "Struggling families and pensioners will be outraged that their hard-earned cash has been used to pay for luxury designer sofas to create a 'peaceful oasis' for council tax officials. This shows the total disregard the last Labour government had for the public purse."
A source at the department said the red sofas made the office seem like a "Parisian boudoir" and pointed out that council tax bills had more than doubled under Labour.
Marketing material for the sofas claim they are intended to be "much more than just a piece of furniture".
"Sitting within the Alcove Highback, you cannot be seen or heard from the outside, and find yourself in a secluded space," it says.
"Thanks to the outstanding acoustic qualities of the Alcove Highback Sofa and its function as a visual screen, it creates a truly peaceful oasis - especially in spacious living areas.
"This effect is even more pronounced when two sofas are positioned face to face, thereby defining a room within a room."
An investigation into Whitehall spending by new coalition Government found Labour ministers authorised officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government to buy 28 of the sofas at a cost of £4,120 each.
The shocking-red "Alcove Highback" sofas, by Parisian designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, were ordered for the department's central London headquarters at a total cost of £134,503.
They were part of a an efficiency initiative called "SpaceFlex" to make the department "more practical" and save money, but new Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said it showed Labour's "total disregard" for the public purse.
"As sure as day turns to night, Labour governments waste your money," Mr Pickles said. "Struggling families and pensioners will be outraged that their hard-earned cash has been used to pay for luxury designer sofas to create a 'peaceful oasis' for council tax officials. This shows the total disregard the last Labour government had for the public purse."
A source at the department said the red sofas made the office seem like a "Parisian boudoir" and pointed out that council tax bills had more than doubled under Labour.
Marketing material for the sofas claim they are intended to be "much more than just a piece of furniture".
"Sitting within the Alcove Highback, you cannot be seen or heard from the outside, and find yourself in a secluded space," it says.
"Thanks to the outstanding acoustic qualities of the Alcove Highback Sofa and its function as a visual screen, it creates a truly peaceful oasis - especially in spacious living areas.
"This effect is even more pronounced when two sofas are positioned face to face, thereby defining a room within a room."