Godalming Town Council's new offices are almost ready for occupation, and staff will move in at the end of the month, town clerk Andy Jeffery told Thursday's meeting of the policy and management committee.

Work on the building at 107-109 High Street - the oldest building in Godalming after the parish church, Mr Jeffery said - is almost complete.

The project came in slightly over budget, but Mr Jeffery stressed:" It's the first project we have delivered in the last 10 years where we haven't come in under budget."

But he said the project, which was managed by the council itself, had cost £102,000 less than the lowest quote received for the job from external contractors.

The refurbishment work itself, which included a new entrance foyer for the museum, which shares the building, and an accessible toilet on the ground floor, cost £76,300.

Fitting out the building, phone and internet connectivity plus the cost of the move have added a further £4,500, and it had been decided to repaint the exterior of the museum while the rest of the building was being spruced up, which had cost an extra £10,400.

"The main cost wasn't to do with the building," he added, "it was to do with how we deliver services nowadays, such as telephony and connectivity."

The new systems that had been installed would, he said, "keep the town council going for some time."