The GSD was always of the view that the expenditure of almost 20,000 pounds for the painting of a wall at Ince’s Hall when it was envisaged that it would be painted over as part of a future refurbishment, was a waste of valuable public funds.

 

If as the Government maintained at the time the artist was of renown and the money was well worth spending then why would they now destroy the “work of art” they paid 20k of taxpayers money for? They can’t have it both ways.

 

The reality is that this is just another example of reckless spending with peoples’ money.

 

The fact that they intended to remove it from the beginning when they portrayed the artist as of great fame just emphasizes how ridiculous it was. “Riding roughshod of the concerns expressed by many including from the Heritage Trust, as to whether painting the Ince’s Hall’s façade, given that we are dealing with a Georgian building with, therefore, heritage significance the Chief Minister happily and with little regard to the fact that he was spending tax payers’ money personally decided to splash out and commission the individual to paint the mural.” said Damon Bossino, the shadow heritage and planning Minister. “If the Government wanted an example of a waste of taxpayers’ money here is one in the amount of £19,881.34 which the Chief Minister personally authorised knowing full well it would not last.” said Roy Clinton, the shadow Minister for Finance.