Historical items deemed to have “limited value” to the borough could be sold off.

Council officers have estimated that about £273,000 could be raised from the selling of the as-yet unnamed pieces.

This money would then be used to purchase historical items that are of “more relevance” to the borough.

Councillors agreed to set up a committee to consider what should and should not be sold after fierce debate at Thursday’s cabinet meeting.

There were also widespread calls for the borough’s arts and heritage collection to be displayed more widely across the borough.

Cllr Terry Paul urged the council to be cautious and not do away with anything which would later be missed.

Meanwhile Cllr Ken Clark noted that when artist David Bailey looked at the artworks from council’s Madge Gill collection, he mentioned that it should be put in the public domain before sale in order to demand the best price.

Council officers reviewing the archives considered the value of each piece to the Newham community, the complexity associated with disposal, the reputational risk to the council and current financial value.

Cllr Clark agreed to put together a committee of councillors to discuss the borough’s collection.