Manchester Council has reportedly spent between £280 to £380 on 118 chairs, totaling almost £43,000.
They have come under scrutiny as members of the public believe that the money could have been spent elsewhere in the community.
The Manchester council blames the Government cuts whenever vulnerable children are at risk of death, abuse and trafficking from Syria, or tackling the homeless crisis in Manchester, they are being questioned where their priorities really lie.
Whilst fortunate members of the public can recline in luxurious chairs, there are families who are struggling to live or know where they will be getting help from during this Christmas period.
The Central Library has hosted more than 300,000 PC sessions since the 2014 reopening after the transformation project which started in 2010.
Around 175,000 hours of PC usage have been recorded at Central Library from September 2015 – September 2016 making it a popular destination for the public in the city centre.
Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Luthfur Rahman, said: “Central Library is Britain’s most visited library outside London, attracting more than 1.5 million people per year and its £50m transformation has been incredibly well-received by Manchester residents and visitors alike. Part of the reason for this success is that we have created a welcoming environment in the library.
“As part of this project, care was taken to ensure that furniture was of sufficient quality and sturdiness to last for many years.
“The funding for Central Library’s transformation, which was carried out between 2010 and 2014, was allocated before the unfair spending cuts under the coalition government, in which Manchester was one of the hardest hit places in the country. It has no relevance to current spending and current budgets.”
They have also defended themselves but saying that buying cheap, lower quality furniture which would not last would be a false economy and cost more in the longer term. They explained that the budget for the Central Library’s £50million refurbishment, done between 2010 and 2014, was planned before the Coalition government’s ‘unfair’ spending cuts were announced.
A survey carried out named ‘Public Library Users Survey’ (PLUS), in October 2016 showed that 86% of visitors were satisfied with the computer facilities at Central Library, compared to just 69% in 2009, before the refurbishment a 17% increase.
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