Council set to spend over £500,000 on new furniture for revamped civic centre

The spending was signed off this week as Haringey Council looks ahead to moving into the refurbished building early next year, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for Haringey Civic Centre's ongoing revamp and (inset) cabinet member Ruth Gordon — Plans for Haringey Civic Centre’s ongoing revamp and (inset) cabinet member Ruth Gordon

Haringey Council has agreed to spend up to £520,000 on new furniture for its revamped civic centre.

The sum, which includes supply and installation, was approved by Ruth Gordon, the local authority’s cabinet member for placemaking and local economy, at a cabinet member signing last Friday (27th).

Haringey Civic Centre has been closed since 2020 following the discovery of “serious safety and structural issues”. Work on a major £65million refurbishment and expansion scheme of the Grade 2-listed building in Wood Green began last May and is now due for completion in around a year’s time.

In response to questions from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), a spokesperson for the council was keen to point out that the figure – £519,530.51 – is the maximum value of the contract awarded to an as-yet undisclosed bidder for the supply and installation of new furniture. It includes “a significant contingency fund”, they said.

The council has also awarded a contract of up to £256,815 to a separate bidder. This, the local authority says, is for “refurbishment” of its existing furniture and “also includes a significant contingency sum and covers cleaning, removal and installation”.

The spokesperson said the local authority is “committed to significant re-use of existing furniture” from its current office buildings but “will have to purchase some new suitable furniture for civic and democratic meeting rooms, such as the council chamber”.

The refurbished civic centre is set to house new offices as well as restored public spaces.

The LDRS asked the council if the potential three-quarters-of-a-million spend represented good value for money for the borough and its residents.

A spokesperson said: “The restoration of the civic centre will re-establish this truly iconic building as the focal point for public life in the very heart of our borough, as well as a dynamic and inclusive space for future generations.

“It will provide accessible, high-quality and sustainable office accommodation for hundreds of staff alongside a hub for civic and community activity.

“These two awards commit the council to spend up to the stated amounts in the respective contracts, which also include significant contingency sums. We’ll be minimising costs by refurbishing and relocating much of our existing furniture from our current office buildings.

“Our stringent procurement process ensures that all tender bids are subjected to rigorous assessment against a set number of criteria. This robust approach allows us to come to a final decision that meets our needs in terms of securing the highest-quality provider offering the very best value for money.”

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.