Newham has agreed to rent a large part of its Dockside council offices to London Ambulance Service (LAS) in a bid to save almost £700,000 a year.

This week, the town hall signed off a ten year lease, which will see LAS move into the the ground floor East Wing of Building 1000.

Newham Council spent £110 million buying and refurbishing the building, opposite London City Airport, in 2010.

But it still holds the majority of its meetings in East Ham and Stratford town halls.

The areas of the building being leased to LAS are currently unoccupied and there will be no impact on council services, the cabinet meeting heard.

The council report states that the plans will generate an undisclosed rental income and savings on service charges and utilities.

From 2022, the move will save the council £694,440 a year, councillors said.

“This is us using our assets for the benefit of the community,” councillor Terry Paul said. “It is a very good deal for us.”