The private company in charge of Bradford Education today defended its decision to move offices just months after their existing ones had a £300,000 revamp at taxpayer's expense.

Education Bradford has taken a ten year lease on a new block, Microvitec House, in Bolling Road near Bradford city centre.

The company is being paid £360 million to run the district's education for ten years. When it took over last summer it moved in to the old education offices in Flockton Road, Bowling, after the Council spent £300,000 on refurbishment work.

At the time union leaders and councillors criticised the decision as a waste of taxpayers' money as it was known that Education Bradford wanted a new centre.

Bosses at the privatised service fear the old offices, home to the former LEA discredited by Ofsted, are tainted by failure.

Today Mark Pattison, managing director of Education Bradford, refused to say how much was being spent on Microvitec House.

He said Education Bradford was paying for the work which included alterations and redecoration. The costs were built in to the ten year business plan.

"The environment people work in is one of the influences on the culture, and we have been clear from the beginning that we wanted to establish a new building," Mr Pattison said.

He said officials who were involved in support work to schools had been reorganised and needed open plan offices.

"The refurbishment isn't extravagant by any means but it will be good quality," Mr Pattison said.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Lib Dem, Idle) involved in assessing Serco's bid for the education contract, said: "My view was that we shouldn't have done the refurbishment until Education Bradford had decided where its headquarters were going to be."

l Education Bradford is inviting Telegraph & Argus readers to suggest a new name for Microvitec House. Suggestions should be made on (01274) 752226.