A proposal for a bronze sculpture of a surfer overlooking the Atlantic breakers in Cornwall has been criticised because a cash-strapped local authority is being asked to pay for setting up and maintaining the artwork.
Critics say it is wrong for Newquay town council to be landed with the bill when so many taxpayers are struggling with the cost of living crisis.
A charitable foundation wants to donate the 5-metre (16ft), £100,000 statue to the north Cornwall resort to mark the 60th anniversary of surfing in its modern form arriving in the south-west of Britain.
Newquay town council is due to debate the plan next week but a sticking point could be the cost of installation and maintenance.
The council would be responsible for the cost of setting up the piece, including transport and creating a concrete base, and security. A report has estimated the cost to Newquay to be £20,000. It adds: “It is expected that the ongoing maintenance costs, for matters such as electricity, cleaning, and insurance, is estimated to be £2,500 per annum.”
Six hundred residents – about 3% of the population – took part in a survey on the statue this summer. Of these, around two-thirds were supportive and a third against.
Monique Collins, the manager of Disc, a drop-in and share centre in Newquay, said she felt some who expressed support had not realised the cost to the town. “For council tax to go on a statue when so many people are struggling to eat properly or pay their bills is ridiculous,” she said.
Kate Larsen, a Green party councillor, said: “It doesn’t feel right when that money could be spent on people who are really struggling in a cost of living crisis. I’m absolutely for beautifying the town, but I would rather funds go to ensuring the lowest-paid town council employees and contractors earn a real living wage and that we support local charities helping people in this perfect storm of stressful housing challenges, energy cost rises, and inflation.”
The Keogh Foundation, founded by the Newquay surf pioneers Stuart and Cherry Keogh, argues that the statue would be a fitting commemoration of the role Newquay has played in the British surf scene.
It points out that it has been backed by other Newquay surf grandees and Visit Cornwall has estimated that the publicity it would create could be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.
Stuart Keogh said the costs quoted by the council were significantly higher than the foundation’s figures and that there was widespread support for an “iconic structure that pays homage to the deep and meaningful heritage of the surf culture in Newquay”.
He added: “It is wholeheartedly supported by the people of Newquay.”
