Can I remove this beam left in the corridor ceiling after loft conversion?

[Shlomi]

Hi there, I'm about to decorate our first floor hallway landing and loft staircase after hip to gable loft conversion signed off by BC.

 

I can't get my head around the fact that I really dislike this protruding beam that was cut short during the process but left to hang in the ceiling. When I asked the company to remove it they claimed it had a structural purpose, like holding the loft floor joists or something similar. However Ive seen similar houses after loft conversions which didnt have such exposed beam. Plus I'm struggling to believe that such a small portion of the beam which probably extends far into the ceiling , can serve so much structural holding purpose. Question is, is it safe to remove, and can anyone confirm if the loft company was talking sense? Even the slightest doubt will deter me from having a go at removing it. I'm attaching a photo that shows the beam before it was cut short to allow new loft staircase installation, and a picture of the current placement of the short beam. PS in the first picture there is a double floor joist seated on the original beam so perhaps it does serve to hold them? Any advice would be really helpful. Many thanks, Shlomi 

[nod]

Contact a structural engineer