The front page headline in tonight's Evening Standard is all about designer furniture. And not in a good way. "SPENDING WATCHDOG SPLASHES OUT £900 A CHAIR".

The Standard breaks the story that the soon to be axed Audit Commission has been criticised by ministers for buying four Kinnarps Omni Swivel chairs at £854 each, plust a pair of Naughtone Hush chairs at £840 each.

"It is a shocking waste of money for a spending watchdog to have have shelled out so much on designer chairs," froths Aiden Burley, MP.

Of course they're right. It is shocking for a government to be spending those sums on a chairs at times like these. Not just chairs, but designer chairs.

After all, this is government money, being spent on a quality British-made and designed product. And a chair like this will probably only last you a good ten years or so. Or longer.

Actually, the Naughtone Hush above looks pretty nice, doesn't it? It was originally unveiled at Tent London at the London Design Festival 2009. If they're looking for a second-hand buyer, I'm sure there'll be plenty of offers. 

OK, so maybe £840 is too much in these straitened times, but don't most offices - especially government and quango offices - need more design, not less of it?

EDIT: The Daily Mail has joined in too: "Spending watchdog fritters away £53,000 on designer office chairs (some costing nearly £900 EACH)"