Bringing Formula E back to Battersea Park was the "right decision" according to the deputy leader of Wandsworth Council.

Councillor Jonathan Cook said the decision not to invoke a break clause in the five-year contract with the electric racing firm, was welcome for the whole borough, in a move which that will net the park £400,000 across two more years of the event.

November 27: Formula E protesters declare Battersea Park event a "siege" as 2016 event is approved

November 25: Formula E will return to Battersea Park for two years despite protests at Wandsworth council gates

November 20: Formula E Battersea Park: Wandsworth's Labour councillors pledge to vote against return

This is in addition to the £200,000 it has already brought in.

Community services spokesman Coun Cook said: "I fully welcome and applaud this decision. It is the right decision for Battersea Park and also for the wider general population of Wandsworth.

"Granting permission for Formula E to return for the next two years means we have secured £600,000 of new funding for a whole range of improvements in the park itself, and there are also additional sums we will receive that will be used to help fund frontline council services for our vulnerable residents and which can also help keep our council tax bills as low as possible - something of huge importance to those in our community who are on low or fixed incomes.

"Despite the grim warnings that came from some opponents beforehand, the simple truth is that the event did not cause the mayhem and destruction they predicted. There was some disruption of course, but this only really affected the perimeter road, and once beyond that there were literally hundreds of untouched acres of beautiful green open space for people to enjoy as they would at any other time of the year.

"We are confident that the important lessons we learned from this year’s inaugural set of races will mean that any disruption caused in the build up to next year’s races can be kept to the absolute bare minimum."

On Tuesday night, the council forecourt was filled with protesters chanting "Save Our Park" as members of the community services overview and scrutiny committee filed into the meeting room.

Members voted seven to four on party lines to bring the event back, with Labour members honouring their commitment to vote against the event.

During the meeting, councillors heard from Paul McCue, managing director of staff mutual Enable, who admitted there had been elements across the event which had not been expected by the council but that Formula E would be able to make improvements for next year.

Committee members were also told that the full amount the council has been paid for the event, which it has refused to disclose citing "commercial reasons", will help deal with cuts from central government to the tune of £30m.