Council ‘flushed money down pan’ with £7,000 heated rest room seats on the town corridor

A council has been accused of flushing taxpayers’ money down the pan after kitting out the city corridor with heated rest room seats.

Waltham Forest Council has put in 12 hi-tech bum-warmers at a value of £7,632. Councillors and officers really feel the advantages once they go to the loos on the north London authority’s Town Hall and Assembly Hall.

But taxpayers are kicking up a proper stink over the toasty bogs – which additionally act as bidets. Conservative London Assembly Member Emma Best stated on X – previously Twitter – the transfer was a “slap in the face” for residents who’ve just lately seen council tax payments soar.

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Posting snaps of the posh lavs Emma, who’s chief of Waltham Forest’s Tory group, stated: “Maybe I missed something but I’m not sure heated seats for councillors to do their business was top of residents wish list when Labour raised council tax last year.”

She added: “It’s a slap in the face for residents who saw their council tax rise again this year and is typical of Labour’s warped priorities and wasteful spending.” District councillor Jaymey McIvor replied: “It’s exactly what residents tell me they want on the doorstep…What. A. Joke.”

One native wrote: “Unfortunately the standard waste of tax money from our LA. Nothing changes!” Another stated the loos “need lots of maintenance” and have “high installation costs” in comparison with common ones. “Those ‘Japanese’ WCs are fantastic. No doubt about it but hugely expensive,” they wrote.

“We don’t put them in office toilets. Most WCs don’t need an electrical supply to them. Lots of things to go wrong too and you almost need a training session on how to use them. Fabulous things but relatively fragile.”

Waltham Forest Council admitted the loos – which value £636 every – value “considerably more than a standard toilet seat and bidet” however had been a part of a bid to enhance the city corridor as an occasions house.

A council spokesman stated: “We are committed to ensuring our facilities are accessible to everyone and these toilets are more comfortable for people with a number of conditions. But as well as being a place of council business Waltham Forest Town Hall serves as a public events space, including for citizenship ceremonies, and as a wedding venue.

“We settle for that, at £636 every to purchase, these seats value significantly greater than a typical rest room seat, nonetheless this has been a part of our general long-term technique to optimise earnings era from our lovely buildings. We imagine it’s working.”

The spokesman stated marriage ceremony bookings introduced in £210,000 final yr (2023) for the reason that seats had been fitted – and had been 22% up this yr. “On top of that we’ve had lots of gratitude from our guests and visitors who have understood why we have them and have appreciated our approach,” they added.

“As with any capital works the cash has come out of the council’s capital fund and wouldn’t have resulted in any improve in council tax.”

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