A ROW has broken out over the purchase of £4,000-worth of furniture for a mayor's parlour.

Chris Abbott, Liberal Democract leader on Redcar and Clevleland Borough Council, said the spending was "a sheer waste".

But George Dunning, Labour leader of the council, hit back saying the authority had secured excellent value for money.

The council moved out of the old town hall in Eston earlier this year and the mayor's parlour has been moved to Kirkleatham Museum.

Councillor Abbott said he has since found out that the council spent £4,319 on replacing the furniture.

He said: "This is sheer waste of taxpayers' money.

Kirkleatham Museum already houses quality furniture which used to be in the mayor's parlour at Redcar.

We want to know what has happened to the furniture at the former Eston town hall.

"It's another example of Labour making cuts where it matters and spending where it doesn't. At a time of austerity, this sends out totally the wrong message to the people the council serves."

Councillor Dunning responded by saying the authority was well known for making shrewd investments and new furniture was bought with an eye to a future move.

He said: "The just over £4,000 spent on the mayor's temporary parlour at Kirkleatham Museum is excellent value formoney, as we will be using this furniture in the new Redcar Civic Centre in January 2014 for our stateof-the-art town hall.

"The criticism from Chris Abbott is totally unfounded because we are renowned for investing wisely and getting value for money for our borough, for example £75m for regeneration, mainly through grants, gained prerecession years. Coun Abbott appears to know the cost of everything but the value of nothing."

A spokesman for the council said some of the furniture from the old mayor's parlour is in storage. One display cabinet from the old facility is in the Kirkleatham Museum and another is in storage for the Redcar move.

Other furniture from Eston Town Hall was either sold off or was beyond repair and had to be scrapped.