A South London council splashed almost £27,000 on holding their local election count at world-famous The Oval cricket ground.

Lambeth Council splashed the cash on hiring out rooms, parking spaces and furniture at the international sports centre in Kennington – even though it has its own town hall.

The figures were revealed following a Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

By contrast, neighbouring Southwark hosted its count at the council’s own headquarters near London Bridge.

Counting of local election results in Lambeth’s 21 wards took place at The Oval on May 6 after voters went to the polls the previous day.

Results of the election, which saw Labour sweep to victory winning 58 of the 63 seats available, were also announced at the cricket ground. 

Another Freedom of Information request revealed Lewisham Council spent between £15,000 and £20,000 on hiring out a venue to hold its election count  – at least £7,000 less than Lambeth.

Lewisham opted to host its count at a local secondary school. 

Lambeth Council has spent millions renovating its town hall in Brixton, but still chose not to hold the count there.

It has previously claimed the refurbishment, which took five years, has allowed the council to save £4.5 million per year. 

The town hall, which originally opened in 1908, has numerous rooms suitable for large gatherings.

Suite 16 on the town hall’s first floor has a capacity for up to 200 guests, according to the council’s website, while the art deco assembly hall has space for up to 300 people. 

Other rooms in the Grade II listed town hall include the mayor’s heritage suites, which Lambeth’s website says are usually reserved for mayoral events and the council chamber.

The town hall in Brixton has no parking but there is a drop off area nearby and it is a five minute walk from Brixton Tube station. 

Lambeth Council said: “The local election count is a vital exercise in democracy and we have a responsibility to complete it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"Given the hundreds of count staff, party officials and media representatives involved, the count requires an extremely large venue which must be exclusively available to us until the last result is declared.

“In line with other authorities, Lambeth has considered all the best venues available within the borough and the Kia Oval proved to be a suitable venue – as it had for the 2018 local election count.”

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