WORCESTERSHIRE people will be able to watch key debates and public inquiries live on the internet once County Hall's new £670,000 council chamber opens next week.

Builders are working around the clock to get the new-look chamber finished in time for Worcestershire County Council's meeting on Thursday, May 8, following a three-month renovation.

The new 'flexible-use' room will eventually be wired up with recording equipment and webcams so that people can keep a close eye on council business on their own computer screens.

Conservative Councillor Stephen Clee, the cabinet member for corporate services who is overseeing the project, said: "We need to reach out as a local authority to a wider audience. "Not everybody can get in a car and come down to County Hall to watch a debate, so having it available on the webcasts will be a great thing."

The new chamber has been designed so that it can be used for as many different purposes as possible, from council meetings and public inquiries to functions, weddings and conferences.

Coun Clee said. "We want to maximise the space - and maximise our income from it."

The council chamber's overhaul is the final stage of a two-year renovation of the entire County Hall premises, at a cost of about £1.8m.

The council has been criticised for spending so much taxpayers' money on refurbishing its own premises at a time when it needs to make £25m in savings, and it recently agreed to the closure of two popular day centres for disabled people.

But Coun Clee said he felt the refurbishment was long-overdue.

He said; "There's never been a touch of paint put on this building since it was built in 1974. Would you leave the decoration of your lounge for that long?

"From a maintenance point of view - and that's my portfolio - it's been nice to see us spend some money on our building, because local government has a terrible habit of spending not a penny on properties it owns. "We had staff working in environments which you wouldn't dream of putting somebody into. We have had to make our offices fit for purpose."