Council washes its hands of artwork

CALLING time . . . council leader Howard Sykes at the site

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

Time has been called on a £53,000 town centre musical artwork which has been all washed up since it was installed five years ago.

Timewash on High Street is pictured as Oldham Council began to demolish it yesterday.

The wasted money has been condemned as “lamentable” by the campaign group Taxpayers’ Alliance.

Council leader Howard Sykes finally called time on the sculpture, saying he would not have any more public money spent on it.

He added: “It is an embarrassment to Oldham town centre and I will not sanction any further public money being spent on trying to get this ill-conceived and poorly designed idea to work.

“It is time this matter was brought to an end.”

The 23ft-high metallic water feature with five columns, paid for by £53,000 of European funds, was supposed to play tunes through musical pipes at the top when water was pumped through.

Design faults were compounded by vandals who blocked it with pizza and beermats and poured washing up liquid in it. Despite repairs, new manhole covers, extra filters and protective fittings, it has never worked properly.

And more repairs to make it run smoothly have been branded uneconomic.

Timewash was part of the £600,000 Made in Oldham project, paid for by the European Regional Development Fund, to enhance areas of the town centre.

Councillor Sykes added: “Timewash has not worked since the day of installation.

“Officers have tried on numerous occasions to get the sculpture operational but it has just not been possible.

“It’s important to point out that Timewash did not cost the citizens of the borough a penny because it was paid for out of the European Regional Development Fund — that cash had to be used for so- called public art like Timewash.

“We could have opted to do nothing and let Timewash stay there and deteriorate but this would have only resulted in it becoming a blight on the town centre and the High Street in particular.”

Fiona McEvoy, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “This is a lamentable waste of public money and someone should be held to account.

“This whole situation is just indicative of the cavalier, ‘nobody’s money’ approach that has been taken towards the public purse in recent years.

“European funds still come from British taxpayers and it’s completely unacceptable to throw cash at dubious projects, only to bring them to an abrupt halt a few years after investment.

“This money could have been used in a way that genuinely benefited the people of Oldham but instead they’ll now have a pile of rubble where this white elephant once stood.”

Once Timewash is demolished, the area will be re-instated by the end of the month in time for the Remembrance Day, Christmas shopping and local events.