Conservative Group Leader Cllr Graham Jones said: “The Lib Dem Executive have recommended adding £120,000 to the capital programme to refurbish the Council Chamber in the 2005/6 financial year. We understand that the majority of this sum is just for a new PA system within the chamber. There is no doubt in my mind that this money should be used for public services, not to fund our own comfort. There are many projects more deserving of this money than the Liberal Democrat Chamber of Secrets.”

Cllr Jones continued: “The Conservative Group believes that the £120,000 should instead be used to build a permanent replacement for the Wash Common Library that the administration closed last year. The estimates we have received from Council officers suggest that exactly this amount would fund a good quality local library, using traditional building materials, to be built on the Park House School site as part of their extended schools proposal. The school have been very pro-active in developing extended services in the community and this would allow them to fulfil the community library element of their project.”

Cllr Jones concluded: “I will be moving an amendment to the capital programme to remove £120k for the council chamber and replace it with the reprovision of the Library. This change need not be a party political one, and I am hopeful members from both sides of the chamber will support it".