Barnet Borough Council has been accused of spending an “extraordinary” amount on iPads and laptops after it emerged that more than £400,000 had been spent on the devices.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show Barnet Council spent £411,170 on iPads and laptops in the past two years. Of this, £374,500 was spent on laptops, and £36,670 was spent on iPads.

John O’Connell, director at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, a group that campaigns about taxes, said: "This is an extraordinary sum of money. New technology can in some cases deliver efficiency savings, but at over £400,000 in up-front costs the savings here will have to be off-the-scale.

“The council must justify this spending or taxpayers will wonder why council staff are enjoying the latest technology at their expense."

A spokesman for the council said: “We are in the process of moving to a paperless meeting system for our members and senior managers. Between April 2012 and 2013, the council spent nearly £90,000 on printing costs and courier service costs which we will be able to save using paperless technology moving forward. This will give the council a saving in the 2015/16 budget.

“The cost of iPads includes establishing a secure server system in line with cabinet office directives. The council selected iPads over rival systems because of the greater security the operating system offers.

“The figure for the laptops also includes screens and docking stations. These laptops also allow our staff to work from home which increases overall productivity and reduces building costs. Computers are only replaced when necessary and typically have a lifespan of around five years.”