A HUGELY controversial oil painting which cost Worcestershire taxpayers about £4,000 is to be sold off - possibly for just £300.

The painting, a copy of an old portrait of former Prime Minister Sir Stanley Baldwin, was at the centre of a political storm when the then-chairman of Worcestershire County Council, Councillor Edward Sheldon, had it commissioned from his chairman's allowance in 2004 to hang on the walls of County Hall.

But following the recent refurbishment of the council offices, the Conservative-led council has decided to sell off many of the old relics now deemed unsuitable for the new-look building - and the controversial £4,000 portrait is one of the items up for sale.

An official valuation has set its price at £300-£400.

County councillor Tom Wells, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "It was thoroughly unacceptable to waste money on a painting in the first instance when services are being cut - but to find out it's only valued at £300 is just outrageous. Why were we spending thousands on a painting that's worth a few hundred pounds?"

Coun Sheldon defended his decision to spend £4,000 on the painting.

"It was never a waste of money," he said. "That's just nonsense. The valuation is ridiculous. It's a copy of a portrait of a man who was Prime Minister three times, as well as a Worcestershire county councillor.

"I'm extremely annoyed it's in the sale catalogue - I'm not supportive of selling any parts of our history. I'm keenly interested in history and I think it's vital. If we lose our history, we lose our future."

And Councillor Stephen Clee, the Tory cabinet member in charge of corporate services, said the £300-£400 catalogue price was "just one person's valuation."

He said: "Things are only worth what someone is prepared to pay for them - we are talking about a copy here. We are actually in negotiations at the moment to sell it to the Baldwin family.

"Whether or not it was a waste of money is a question for Coun Sheldon." The city's Labour MP Mike Foster, was one of the painting's biggest critics back in 2004.

"This is an absolute disgrace," he said.

"At the time I said coun Sheldon should have paid for the picture himself.

"Now the taxpayer is covering a huge loss for coun Sheldon's art dealings. It's totally unacceptable.

"Local government is not there to speculate on pieces of art - and it's quite clear Coun Sheldon is no art expert. Council taxpayers in Worcestershire will be totally and utterly bemused he was allowed to get away with this at the time.

"All of us collectively are paying the price for Coun Sheldon's vanity and folly."

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