A CITY councillor has condemned new security rules forcing visitors to wear badges as turning Oxford’s town hall into “Colonel Gadaffi’s bunker”.

The rules come after council auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers “expressed serious concern” at the ease with which the public could wander into city council offices which should have been out of bounds. The firm warned it put confidential data at risk.

Consultancy EC Harris was commissioned to review security and recommended visitors to non-public offices should wear badges and be escorted.

The corporate management team agreed to rules requiring staff to wear a name badge or staff ID card at all times.

The public is exempt from the new rules when attending public meetings, events, the gallery, cafe or Long Room at the town hall in St Aldate’s.

But some councillors have condemned the changes.

Green group leader David Williams said they created a wall of bureaucracy for the public.

In a letter to officers, he said: “There has not been a breakdown of law and order and things are not descending into chaos and anarchy.

“These things always breed resentment and a feeling of erecting a barrier between people and the institution they are approaching.”

Mr Williams said making thousands of visitors sign in would be a logistical nightmare.

He added: “Let’s have a people’s Town Hall, not Colonel Gadaffi’s bunker.”

Some Labour and Liberal Democrat members also expressed their concerns.

Fellow Green Nuala Young said: “Most of the places that need to be secure already are and I see no reason for having this extra officious security.”

Council spokesman Louisa Dean said the arrangements only applied to visitors to private offices, so they could not access confidential documents.

She said: “These procedures reflect those already in place at most other local authorities.”