Cheshire West and Chester Council spent more than £9,000 of taxpayers’ money hiring out its own town hall.

The shock revelation was contained in a Freedom of Information response to The Chronicle concerning how much CWaC paid to hold last summer’s Local Plan inquiry at Chester Town Hall which is now managed by Chester Race Company in a five-year deal.

CWaC spent £9,208 hiring rooms in the civic building over 13 days, which works out at £708.33 per day, but insists this ‘offered easily the best price in the area’.

Labour group leader Cllr Samantha Dixon said: “I’m sure residents can make up their own mind about the fact that this Tory-led Council has just paid a jaw-dropping near £10,000 to hire its own town hall. We questioned the logic of outsourcing management of the town hall at the time, but it takes a special kind of incompetence to draw up an agreement which leads to these kinds of fees being levied against the taxpayer.”

Questions were raised recently when a planning inquiry concerning a controversial student housing scheme at Tower Wharf had to be held across two city centre venues because of a lack of availability of suitable council meeting rooms. The council acknowledged the town hall was considered but on this occasion claimed ‘the cost was prohibitive at £800 a day’.

Cllr Dixon added: “Is it any wonder that local groups and residents are complaining about being priced of the town hall when even the council faces charges of this level?”

But council spokesman Ian Callister said: “The town hall was chosen for the Local Plan simply because it offered easily the best price in the area for the required accommodation – one main room and two ante-rooms. Alternative quotes provided to us for the three-week period varied from at least £33,000 to £14,250 – and these prices did not include extras like food, conference equipment and accommodation.

“The price charged at the town hall did include the council’s discount.”

More than £2.5m has been spent refurbishing the town hall including repairs to the roof and gothic stonework, the installation of a new lift and toilets as well as an upgrade and redecoration of the interior. The executive agreed to secure an external provider in November 2011 saying the proposal would ‘generate a minimum benefit to the authority of £75k’ with the race company’s catering division, Horseradish, subsequently appointed.

Councillor Stuart Parker, executive member for culture and recreation, said at the time: “We are determined to realise the full potential of our newly refurbished town hall in Chester and believe that we have found a partner in Horseradish to achieve this. The traditional mix of civic, arts, culture and social functions will continue professionally managed and promoted by our new partner to further enhance the reputation of this superb venue.”

But Chester‘s former Labour MP Christine Russell has raised concerns over public access to the civic building ever since the deal was struck.

She said recently: “The town hall belongs to the people of Chester. It should be the principle location for meetings that either have an impact on the city or are of great concern to the people of Chester. I think it’s an absolute scandal that it is no longer available at an affordable price.”

The ex-MP added: “It’s not the race company’s fault. The anger should be vented at the local authority for handing over total control of a public building.”