Police plans to spend £25,000 on art for new HQ branded 'ludicrous'
Humberside Police is set to spend £25,000 on a public art display at its new divisional headquarters in Hull.
As previously reported by the Mail, the force is planning to move from its current base at Queens Gardens, city centre, to a new state-of-the art base at Clough Road, north Hull.
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An artist's impression of the new police HQ for Clough Road, Hull
A report on the move, due to be discussed today at a meeting of Humberside Police Authority, reveals the force has set aside £25,000 for the artwork.
The artwork – the specifics of which have not yet been identified – is expected to be placed at the entrance of the £26m new police station.
The report states: "Work is continuing towards selecting and commissioning an artist to create public art for the public plaza leading up to the headquarter’s main entrance, as requested by Hull City Council.
"To date, discussions with the Arts Council and the Lottery Commission have provided no external sources of funding.
"A sum of £25,000 has been set aside within the capital allocation for Clough Road."
It goes on: "It is anticipated that the artwork will be functional in nature and add to the street furniture, for example be incorporated into the landscape to discourage vehicles from approaching the building frontage, or incorporated into the paving scheme to create interest."
Despite the allocation of the funds, the report states that no exact details of the scheme have been decided.
Although the report states the request was made by the city council, a spokeswoman for the authority said: "It may be a requirement of the police’s own design quality advisors, but this was only a suggestion from members at a pre-application meeting.
"It wasn’t a planning requirement or condition, so it’s not something we're insisting on."
The move has been heavily criticised by the Taxpayers Alliance (TPA).
Andrew Allison, the TPA’s co-ordinator for Hull and the East Riding, said: "What on earth are a police force spending money on art work for?
"The money they have set aside would pay the wages of a PC for a year.
"And in this financial climate, when public sector budgets are being squeezed across the board, it seems even more ludicrous.
The money will come from the force’s capital budget – which is used for building and upgrading facilities, rather than for the day-to-day costs such as salaries.
But it comes at a time when it is attempting to reduce its budget by more than £15m.
Two projects, known as Choices and Business Workforce Modernisation, are sweeping through the ranks of the force.
The first is designed to identify any savings that can be made across the board and the second is looking to replace warranted officers with cheaper civilian staff members.
Councillor David Rudd, the police authority’s vice-chairman and a member of the finance committee, said: "We will be discussing the report, the details in it and asking questions in relation to the matters arising from it.
"Any spending has to be justified and we will be asking what benefits any scheme brings.
"This is the process by which all public spending in the region is scrutinised."
The Mail repeatedly asked to speak to a senior officer about the matter over recent days, but the request was declined.
Last night when we contacted the force again, a statement was emailed to us contradicting the contents of the report.
It read: "The proposals being discussed at the police authority finance meeting have not been agreed and therefore it is too early to comment on specific elements of it.
"The money proposed for public artwork is free space for groups, schools and clubs across the city to display their own work within the new community focused Hull policing base on Clough Road.
"The money will not be used to commission a new piece of art or buying existing artwork."
40 Comments
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by Batman2010, Hull
Wednesday, May 19 2010, 5:08AM
“Oh and Liz,
I'm not currently on benefits, never have been and hope I never need to be. It would be a bit hypocritical to write my post if I was.
No offence intended to you or your brother. I too have family genuinely entitled to benefits so am well placed to comment.”
by Batman2010, Hull
Wednesday, May 19 2010, 5:01AM
“Liz, nobody is having a go at your brother or anyone else genuinely entitled to benefit. Quite the opposite in fact as the point I was making is that why this particular waste of money and not any other.
Generally speaking however... We both know that there are thousands of 2nd and 3rd generation unemployed sick notes in this city who never have worked, never will and have no wish to work as they genuinely believe the world owes them a living. It all adds up to a lot more than £25,000.
Finally I should point out that although not a fan of modern art (as such) I do like to see nice looking buildings as opposed to ugly boring boxes. Public buildings or otherwise.”
by Charles, Cott
Wednesday, May 19 2010, 2:30AM
“If they called it decoration no-one would give a hoot; calling it "art work" and all the hooples come out and howl.
Let them bay at the moon and carry on; we need our coppers well fed and cared for they might get nasty else.”
by Paul, Hull
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 9:18PM
“Humberside Police must be the thickest police force in the country. They spend 75000 on a Lexus and now this. What a joke they are.”
by Liz, Hull
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 8:33PM
“Batman2010,
For your information there are some people who are on jobseekers and are entitled to every penny of it because they have paid their fair share of taxes. My brother has worked for 37yrs and has recently lost his job through the recession and he cannot find a job and he goes to the jobcentre every week. This is my computer and I pay the internet. I look on the websites for him. Please do not tar everyone on jobseekers with the same brush. One day you may find yourself out of work and claiming jobseekers and then everyone that is still employed can have a go at you for claiming jobseekers thats if you are not doing so already.”
by Batman2010, Hull
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 7:38PM
“Nobody tells those on benefits or jobseekers what they can or cannot waste their hard earned 'public' money on.
Sky television, the internet,beer, fags and all the many other luxury's than some hardworking (and actual tax paying) individuals cannot afford.
Perhaps the police are an easier target for the Taxpayers Alliance.
Benefit claimants of the UK unite against these brutally oppressive policemen who waste your tax pounds on artwork to make this dull city just a little bit brighter.”
by Tiredofstupidity, Hull
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 7:28PM
“Craig makes a very good point. We don't live in Soviet Russia for goodness sake. Public buildings don't have to look grey and dull just because the money more directly comes from public coffers. The £26 million budget is to replace the poor and inadequate Queens Gardens police station. So I agree, £25,000 from this does not seem very much at all.
I think that the argument that £25,000 could pay for a police officer for a year is a little simplistic given that it will not pay for one for 35 years.
The problem is that a lot of people get very upset about the use of 'public money' when it is not spent how they think it should be. It doesn't help when the police authority, council and indeed the police spokesperson all say differing things. I wish that public services actually defended themselves better in cases like these and told it as it is.
As Sir Lazarus has already commented... why do public services have to always settle for the cheap, short term option? This costs more money in the long term.
Anyway, I'd sooner some public money was spent on making the city look better than have some private sector worker lining their pockets selling me overpriced products, the profits of which pay for his own private art collection.”
by Ranter, Hull.
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 7:11PM
“where is the problem someone asked. The problem is people wasting money which does not belong to them. Its a police station,not an art gallery for Gods sake. I agree with Billy. If they have the urge to be arty farty, use the toads which have no sponsor. Kill 2 birds with one stone.
Public artwork my ar@.If I go to a police station, I want to see a policeman not a painting or a sculpture.
It says a lot about the sense of this idea when even the Arts Council and the lottery commision wont cough up”
by German DVD Gang, Volton Steet Market
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 3:22PM
“Well said Kevin”
by KEVIN'S MATE, HULL
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 2:35PM
“Trigger
You obviously aspire to be as clever as your namesake on TV, but fail miserably.”