A Labour-run London council is in hot water after splurging thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on high-tech heated toilet seats for officials.
Waltham Forest’s council, in north-east London, spent £7,632 on remote-controlled loo seats at its town hall and assembly hall, sending opposition leaders and constituents potty amid council tax hikes.
Conservative London Assembly Member Emma Best said on social media: “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.”
Best shared photos of one the swanky temperature-controlled council thrones, complete with oscillating water jets, dryer functions and more.
Best told GB News: “It signifies the way in which the leadership just don’t really care what residents think and what residents need.
“It signifies… what the leadership are ready to cut and what they’re ready to save on – clearly they’re not ready to cut their comfort on toilet breaks.
Best said she was leading a committee meeting on how the council “would have no option but to raise council tax for residents” when she saw the ludicrous new lavatories.
She said: “I thought that if anybody else is at home struggling with going to the shops, with their energy bills, and they see that this council is telling them they’re going to have to pay more money next year but we’re going to have heated toilet seats, they’re going to lose their minds.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Tory councillor Emma Best, who led the fightback against loo-dicrous council decision
LONDON ASSEMBLYBest initially didn’t dare try the options on one of the new latrines, saying she was scared to “get shot with something”, but curiosity eventually got the better of her.
She said: “I did actually touch some stuff, and water started shooting so I ran away very quickly.
“There’s a lot of options there for people to have a go at – and when I say people, a very select few people because you have to be able to access this floor of the town hall.”
Best took aim at Labour, who have “form for this” and panned the council leadership for mismanaging its budget – in the past, Waltham Forest Council have dumped tens of thousands of pounds on ‘bicycle ballet’ and drag shows.
She said: “This is not a town council that knows how to manage its budget very well and prioritise for its residents.
“The money on the spend, the money on the maintenance, the money on the upkeep is a question, but really it’s the message that it sends when people are struggling and we want to prioritise heating our bums when we go to the loo.”
A Tory councillor for Ongar Rural, Jaymey McIvor, joined the debate on social media and said: “It’s exactly what residents tell me they want on the doorstep… What. A. Joke.”
A council spokesperson told GB News: “We are committed to ensuring our facilities are accessible to everyone and these toilets are more comfortable for people with a number of conditions.
“We accept that, at £636 each to buy, these seats cost considerably more than a standard toilet seat, however this has been part of our overall long-term strategy to optimise income generation from our beautiful buildings.
“As with any capital works, the money has come out of the council’s capital fund and would not have resulted in any increase in council tax.”