Redcar and Cleveland Council first meeting after 28k seating-row

Redcar and Cleveland Council no longer uses tiered seating

A council has had its first meeting since it was revealed that it had spent £28,000 over five years rearranging the layout of its council chamber.

Redcar and Cleveland Council's meeting room has a removable floor that can be altered to provide a flat or tiered surface.

The authority used to pay £800 to set up and then take out tiered seating after each meeting.

On Thursday it had its first meeting without tiered seats.

But can you spot the £800 difference?

The cost of the work was confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service last month.

Lee Holmes, Conservative councillor for Skelton West, said the council had "systematically wasted thousands of pounds worth of taxpayers' money" by paying a removal company to alter the main council chamber for full meetings.

The council, which is currently not under the control of a single party, has been using the Redcar and Cleveland Community Heart building in Redcar since it opened in 2014.

Glyn Nightingale, cabinet member for resources, said the authority previously changed the chamber flooring after every meeting so it could be used for community events, award ceremonies and presentations.

However, while "proud" of the room's flexibility, said a decision had been made that the council no longer needed to tier the flooring for council meetings.

"It will save money as we won't need to close the chamber to lift and replace the flooring, making more days available in the year for people to hire the room for other events," he added.

Earlier this year the cash-strapped council scrapped the role of chief executive in a cost-cutting move.

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