WASTED space at County Hall in Trowbridge is costing up to £300,000 a year, according to a Wiltshire county councillor.

Cllr Malcolm Hewson (Lib Dem) said: "County Hall is from another age. Councillors' committee rooms take up 3,000 square metres of space, but are massively underused.

"The members' room, reserved for county councillors, is 120 square metres of empty space with a pile of newspapers at one end and a Great Bustard at the other."

Cllr Hewson also criticised the number of unused meeting rooms, illogical office layout and inadequate lighting and came up with a rough figure of £300,000 by allowing £100 a square metre for the members' room, which he said is regularly empty.

He called on the administration to bring in external consultants to review how space is used in the building to ensure taxpayers' money is not wasted and staff have better working conditions.

Cllr Toby Sturgis (Con) said: "In large municipal buildings where changes are going on there will always be arguments against wasted space.

"But the county council is rated as an exemplary authority by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the use of its assets and management planning across the county."

He said the council was continually reviewing use of space and working conditions.