Banksy pinwheel - did North Somerset Council steal 50 k?

[Minecrafter]

North Somerset council did get 50k GBP "Coastal revival fund" to renovate Banksy's Dismaland Pinwheel the council neglected for years. 
Now the pinwheel is located in the museum in Weston-super-mare. I attached photos of how it looks after the "renovation" and also what we've obtained via the "freedom of information act". 
Who else thinks this pinwheel had nothing done and the council pocketed the money ? 

[Lroy]

It’s great no ? Or not ?

[Minecrafter]

Feb 27, 2024 9:58:45 GMT 1 Lroy said:

It’s great no ? Or not ?

I'm pointing out that the renovation didn't take place. The picture on the right is after the moneys been written off. So are picture #3 and #4. 
To me it looks like it hasn't even been wiped. 

[Devizes /\_/\]

Feb 27, 2024 9:54:58 GMT 1 Minecrafter said:

North Somerset council did get 50k GBP "Coastal revival fund" to renovate Banksy's Dismaland Pinwheel the council neglected for years. 
Now the pinwheel is located in the museum in Weston-super-mare. I attached photos of how it looks after the "renovation" and also what we've obtained via the "freedom of information act". 
Who else thinks this pinwheel had nothing done and the council pocketed the money ? 

Does anyone actually care?
Councils up and down this once great land have been spunking money on shite that doesn’t benefit the tax payer for years, whether it be art or pothole machines that don’t work, all they care about is lining their own pockets, backhanders and gorging at the tax payers expense.
Theres nothing shocking here, its unfortunately expected from local authorities, its a shame its fits your anti Banksy rhetoric.

[Minecrafter]

Feb 27, 2024 10:29:35 GMT 1 Devizes /\_/\ said:

Feb 27, 2024 9:54:58 GMT 1 Minecrafter said:

North Somerset council did get 50k GBP "Coastal revival fund" to renovate Banksy's Dismaland Pinwheel the council neglected for years. 
Now the pinwheel is located in the museum in Weston-super-mare. I attached photos of how it looks after the "renovation" and also what we've obtained via the "freedom of information act". 
Who else thinks this pinwheel had nothing done and the council pocketed the money ? 

Does anyone actually care?
Councils up and down this once great land have been spunking money on shite that doesn’t benefit the tax payer for years, whether it be art or pothole machines that don’t work, all they care about is lining their own pockets, backhanders and gorging at the tax payers expense.
Theres nothing shocking here, its unfortunately expected from local authorities, its a shame its fits your anti Banksy rhetoric.

You got your rodeo print of Lance Calder, didnt you?!

[loui]

It’s interesting how you are now aiming your arrows at the council. Do you pull your own cart, or someone elses?

[Devizes /\_/\]

Feb 27, 2024 10:36:35 GMT 1 Minecrafter said:

Feb 27, 2024 10:29:35 GMT 1 Devizes /\_/\ said:

Does anyone actually care?
Councils up and down this once great land have been spunking money on shite that doesn’t benefit the tax payer for years, whether it be art or pothole machines that don’t work, all they care about is lining their own pockets, backhanders and gorging at the tax payers expense.
Theres nothing shocking here, its unfortunately expected from local authorities, its a shame its fits your anti Banksy rhetoric.

You got your rodeo print of Lance Calder, didnt you?!

WTF? You really are an oddball.

FYI, no, I didn’t, I got mine direct from the artist it was gifted too last year, IIRC he was selling one that was dedicated to Sickboy recently?

[drip]

It's always shocking how much everything costs when a local Council is involved. If my Council has so much as a thought, it costs about 10k.

Every time a survey is done, an expert opinion is sought, it costs money and someone is being paid.

Costs for things like storage are also insane. My town's Christmas lights are housed for the majority of the year in what we, the local taxpayers, can only assume is a 4-star hotel.

We found out a few years ago that a local architect was jizzed 28k to come up with bridge designs for a bridge we didn't need, and that the Council couldn't afford to build anyway. And these weren't even technical drawings, they were just photoshopped images of some possible bridges over a river. Nearly 30 grand for some pretty pictures of bridges that weren't real. Good times. We're still laughing down at the Food Bank about that one.

The real winner with the pinwheel appears to have been the fabricators, but hey, a job's a job.

[Romulus]

Great that this has gone on display at the local museum

[drip]

I kinda think it looks better all corroded and knackered now. A bit like English coastal towns.

[1nkling]

Feb 27, 2024 9:54:58 GMT 1 Minecrafter said:

Who else thinks this pinwheel had nothing done and the council pocketed the money ? 

Its definitely had work done to it.  Green paint is missing from the center.  I'd think its been stripped down and reassembled.  The yellow main post looks thinner too but that may be perspective between the two pics.  I'd say most of it sounds right for council work.  The £30k was paid to the town council for the piece?

[Minecrafter]

This situation is currently unresolved , we are still waiting for further answers through our freedom of information request.
The locals in Weston are really behind us on this one. It's a scandal that the council wrote off money on a renovation of something that clearly hasn't been touched. The council didn't even have the item as Banksy took it back early 2019 . And it was with them until it was lent to the museum (even though it was a gift originally).

[drip]

Feb 27, 2024 11:12:20 GMT 1 Minecrafter said:

This situation is currently unresolved , we are still waiting for further answers through our freedom of information request.
The locals in Weston are really behind us on this one. It's a scandal that the council wrote off money on a renovation of something that clearly hasn't been touched. The council didn't even have the item as Banksy took it back early 2019 . And it was with them until it was lent to the museum (even though it was a gift originally).

You go get 'em, gurl!

I love it when Councils are held to account.

Ironically, whenever you ask for clarity and accountability of how a Council is spending taxpayer's money, it inevitably costs taxpayer's money for the Council to come up with the answer.

[Minecrafter]

Feb 27, 2024 11:05:52 GMT 1 Romulus said:

Great that this has gone on display at the local museum

You're not exactly up to date with it, it's been in the museum since October 2022. Our questions regarding where the money went back then were drowned out by the apparent fact jps was wrong about it being missing. 

[loui]

Feb 27, 2024 11:12:20 GMT 1 Minecrafter said:

This situation is currently unresolved , we are still waiting for further answers through our freedom of information request.
The locals in Weston are really behind us on this one. It's a scandal that the council wrote off money on a renovation of something that clearly hasn't been touched. The council didn't even have the item as Banksy took it back early 2019 . And it was with them until it was lent to the museum (even though it was a gift originally).

So now you are saying it was in storage at WCP’s workshed? 

[drip]

Yeah, the middle bit is now definitely unpainted, so that's either been stripped or replaced. Work has been done, which will have required a professional. Amateurs don't just rock up and start metalworking.

I have no idea what's been agreed regarding the artwork (chuckle), but I could imagine a scenario where Banksy decides to loan it, permanently, instead of gifting it to the Council. That way he doesn't have to worry about it being sold at some point, nor does he have to draw a massive gift symbol on the back of it.

[Acme Thunderer]

They should have melted it down and spent £200k making a permanent statue of Banksy teabagging JPS.

[drip]

Imagine being the fabricator that made this giant pinwheel. How many of those do you think they sell in a year? If I'd made one, then several years later a town Council contacted me and said they needed it restored, I'd be like, "And now...you come...to me."

I'd charge them whatever I thought I could get away with. I don't know when I'll ever sell a giant metal seaside pinwheel ever again. Or when my kids will eat, wherever they are.

[drip]

Feb 27, 2024 11:24:04 GMT 1 Acme Thunderer said:

They should have melted it down and spent £200k making a permanent statue of Banksy teabagging JPS.

Ok, this made me laugh.

[drip]

What happened to the big sandcastle bit? Did they burn it when they burned and bulldozed the rest of the park? Or is it sitting in Elton's back garden or summin?

[drip]

I'm all for local citizens, even ones who live in Germany, holding their Councils to account, regarding how they spend allocated funds, etc. You get 'em, keep them on their toes, let them know that they're being watched. That's something I can get behind more than this "Banksy ate my hamster" stuff.

Having said that, JPS Vs. North Somerset Council doesn't sound half as cool. It sounds like a court dispute between the Council and a parking company.

[loui]

Feb 27, 2024 11:55:27 GMT 1 drip said:

I'm all for local citizens, even ones who live in Germany, holding their Councils to account, regarding how they spend allocated funds, etc. You get 'em, keep them on their toes, let them know that they're being watched. That's something I can get behind more than this "Banksy ate my hamster" stuff.

Having said that, JPS Vs. North Somerset Council doesn't sound half as cool. It sounds like a court dispute between the Council and a parking company.

What you are actually seem to be saying here, is that it’s OK when someone holds his local council to account, although if you ask that council “for clarity and accountability of how they are  spending taxpayer's money, it inevitably costs taxpayer's money for the Council to come up with the answer”,

yet when that same person holds a (former local) artist who’s living rather well off it to account for fraud and other nasty things you’re not so much into it. Is that what you are trying to say? I mean, don’t you think this is all getting a bit pathetic Irl?

[churchwood]

Stick it somewhere windy and hook it up the grid or use it power a perpetual yawn machine

[Romulus]

Yes, seems like I am behind the times with this one if it's been there since 2022. Thank you for highlighting it

[1nkling]

Feb 27, 2024 11:19:58 GMT 1 drip said:

Yeah, the middle bit is now definitely unpainted, so that's either been stripped or replaced. Work has been done, which will have required a professional. Amateurs don't just rock up and start metalworking.

Indeed.  That quote won't just have included the stripping and reassembling.  There would have been transportation, lifting gear to hire, etc.

[Minecrafter]

We forgot to put these up with the original post. These are the figures we obtained in 2022.
This independent composites is an interesting company.
Notice how these figures don't match the recent figures of the freedom of information.

[1nkling]

Two different questions maybe? One set of figures could be what was allocated out of the £50k and the other the total spend on the project?