Council bosses have defended a decision to spend more than £21,000 on 60 new chairs.

News of the purchase, which works out at £360 each, comes to light just days after Swale hiked its share of council tax by almost 3%.

The authority says it has a responsibility to ensure councillors and staff have a “safe and efficient working environment”.

But shocked taxpayers have questioned why it couldn’t have gone for a cheaper option, especially in such tough economic times.

KentOnline previously reported the council had to fill a £1.7 million gap in its 2025/2026 budget with money from its reserves, while the year before saw another £1.5 million needed to help balance the books.

Swale, which faces being abolished as part of local government reorganisation, bought the Verco leather seats for its council chamber last August from Aylesford-based Three Towns Office Equipment.

It made the order after councillors tried out different models and decided they liked them best.

It had acquired three quotes from furniture suppliers - £21,624, £21,500 and £19,340 - and chose the most expensive.

Meanwhile, another quote requested by KentOnline from a local company for the same model and number of chairs came in at £8,424 less.

Residents quizzed in Sittingbourne High Street near the council’s Swale House HQ labelled the cost “ridiculous” and “over the top”.

Travers Bean, who has lived in Chilton Avenue for 30 years, says most people would think the expenditure was “too much”.

Guessing one of the chairs would cost £120, the 63-year-old retired company director said: “The council need to get rid of the person who sourced those chairs as that’s a lot of money to spend.”

Keeley Prior, who is a theatre technician at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre, was “fuming” after hearing the cost - she thought a chair would have cost £200 tops.

The 39-year-old Park Road resident said: “Well, £21,000 is a lot of money. Could the council not find something cheaper?

“How much benefit are we taxpayers going to get for that?

“It will be nice to go to a meeting and sit on one of them to get my money’s worth.”

Dean England, who lives in social housing in the Murston area of the town, says the council should not have spent more than £100 each.

The 50-year-old said: “There’s not even 60 people working in those offices but they spend that much money on new chairs. It’s disgusting.

“I look around my estate and it is a state. Why couldn’t they spend that money cleaning up Murston?”

Former Bexley council clerical assistant Brenda Robinson, 76, felt the spending was “over the top”, saying: “That amount is too much. I thought it would be around £200 each.

“It is not a good look for the council. Of course, we want the councillors and employees to be comfortable and I would have liked a chair like that when I was working.

“But we have to look into what we are spending at all levels of government as there has been so much wastage.”

A manager at the furniture store approached by KentOnline, who asked not to be named, said: “They could have gotten a better deal if they shopped locally.

“But there are variables in terms of the cost. For example, how much it costs to deliver them and whether they needed assembling. However, I do think they overpaid.”

Swale, which made the order before the prospect of being abolished came to light, says it needed to replace its 30-year-old chairs as they were in “poor condition” and the upgrade was “well overdue”.

A council spokesman said: “The way our councillors work has also changed, meaning the ageing chairs weren’t suitable for long periods of work, especially on laptops.

“Councillors trialled several different chairs and the ones purchased were deemed the best fit for purpose and had the best warranty.

“These new chairs will enable our councillors to deliver for their residents while in a safe and efficient working environment.”

In the coming months, Swale could be paying hundreds of thousands of pounds fighting plans to build thousands of homes between Sittingbourne and Teynham.

Recently, KentOnline also reported how the University of Kent had come under fire over its spending.

We revealed how it is splashing out £7,000 a month on an empty student bar it closed down in 2019, and how it spent £20,000 on a canopy labelled a “waste of money”.

Have you got examples of public sector spending you think is excessive? Let Joe Crossley know by calling 01634 227803 or by emailing jcrossley@thekmgroup.co.uk