Dan Peters 04 September 2015

Pressure group launches art attack on councils

UK councils own at least 5.5m works of art worth an estimated £2bn but are displaying just a fraction of pieces, new research has found.

Manchester City Council owned the most valuable collection, with a total value of £374m across 46,347 pieces but just 2.1% are on display.

North Herts DC possesses the largest collection of any council with more than one million items while Carlisle City Council was the poorest performing authority in terms of the proportion of art displayed, with just 0.02% of its works on show.

Chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, Jonathan Isaby, said: ‘No-one is proposing a wholesale sell-off of publicly-owned art, but nonetheless the scale of the collection is staggering.

‘Public bodies and local authorities should make an effort to display more of their art for people to enjoy, and they also need to take a good hard look at their art portfolio and think about what does and does not need to be retained.

‘At a time when we’re making necessary savings, it is only reasonable to ask whether some of the recent purchases represent value for taxpayers’ money.’

Photo: 1000 Words/Shutterstock.com

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Senior Project Manager (Regeneration)

West Yorkshire Combined Authority
£49,359 to £56,057 per annum (pay award pending) – Grade 9
With ambitious goals ahead, we need dedicated individuals who are ready to make a real impact as part of our expanding Housing team Leeds / Hybrid
Recuriter: West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Information Governance Officer

Essex County Council
£28349.00 - £33351.00 per annum + pension
Information Governance OfficerPermanent, Full Time£28,349 to £33,351 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Information Governance Officer

Essex County Council
£28349.00 - £33351.00 per annum + pension
Information Governance OfficerFixed Term, Full Time£28,349 to £33,351 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

HR Advisor - Pay & Policy (Career Grade)

Wakefield Council
Grade 9 - Grade 10, Career Grade, 24 hours, Permanent
Are you ready to make a difference and shape policies that foster a high performing and inclusive workplace? Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Wakefield Council

Leisure Support Assistant

Wakefield Council
£12,013.50 - £12,202.00, Grade 3, 18.5 hours, Permanent
Are You Ready to Make a Difference in Your Community? Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Wakefield Council
Linkedin Banner