Councillors are demanding to know why and how the council is spending another £200,000 on refurbishing its offices.

Only months after Sutton Council was criticised for granting itself £170,000 to improve its main meeting room, it has now set aside £198,000 of taxpayer's money to improve the reception area at the Civic Offices.

At last week's Strategy and Resources Committee meeting, members argued that with 90,000 visitors a year, the reception area needs to be improved as it was the "first impression" people got of the council.

Councillor Jane McCoy said £198,000 was a "modest amount" and that homeless people who were arriving at the offices in a distressed state needed somewhere "warm and friendly to go."

However, the three Conservatives at the meeting dissented from the vote, claiming the deal did not offer value for money and demanded to see exactly what the sum was being spent on.

Figures show that £40,000 has been outlined for furniture, £55,000 for flooring, and £63,000 for ceiling and lighting.

ICT improvements will cost around £14,000, redecoration £10,000 and contingency and fees £15,000.

Conservative councillor Tim Crowley, chairman of the council's audit committee, said some of the figures quoted were "astronomical".

He said; "£55,000 on 500 sqm of carpet - that works out at £110 per sq m. I could carpet Carshalton Ponds for that price.

"I could carpet 1,700 sqm for the price they are budgeting for 500sq m. 

"The council is squandering taxpayers money at a time when everyone's belts are tightening."

A council spokesperson said: "The planned works will provide significant improvements for residents in terms of providing privacy, a quicker service and a more welcoming environment.

"The recent welfare reforms mean we are beginning to see more people are coming into our reception in a distressed state because they are dealing with issues such as homelessness or are in need of crisis loans.

"Following consultation with users of the service and a procurement exercise to ensure we get real value for money, residents will benefit from new one-stop reception points, better self service facilities with computer and telephone access and a considerably improved environment."