COUNCIL chiefs in York are today set to support spending nearly £1.4 million on a new office.

City of York Council’s executive will meet to draw up its capital spending programme for the next four years, which includes opening a “one-stop” facility for the authority’s services next to Acomb’s Explore centre, replacing a building it currently leases nearby.

But the council’s Labour group has criticised the plans and vowed to scrap them in its own budget proposals for 2011/12.

The Liberal Democrat-controlled authority’s capital programme for next year earmarks £1.394 million for the Acomb office, but Labour leader Coun James Alexander said: “It is outrageous the Lib Dems are proposing a second new council office, in addition to the new £38 million council headquarters, at a time when they are cutting frontline services and making people redundant.

“We will be proposing in our alternative budget to keep the current Acomb office as it is and scrap the proposed new build, which is not needed, while saving essential services such as the bus routes the Lib Dems plan to scrap.

“The new office cannot be justified in the current economic climate and our alternative budget will save essential services in the community, rather than new buildings and bureaucracy.”

The council is faced with having to save £21 million in 2011/12 and 170 posts are set to be shed within the authority, but its leader Andrew Waller said there were “no plans” to cut bus services.

He said all parties had backed the decision to buy the land for the new building, which would reduce rent and energy costs and create long-term savings, and the plans had been on the table for two years.

He said: “Once again, Labour are trying to put at risk the modernisation of council facilities which will save money because they don’t understand the need to plan for the future.

“In this case, it would be residents in Holgate and Acomb who would miss out.”