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Council leader responds to White Palm criticism

Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Councillor Philip Jackson, has responded to criticism over Cleethorpes’ scrapped White Palm project.

Last week, Gi Grimsby News published an article discussing a public art scheme which saw North East Lincolnshire Council spend over £38,000 on plans to install a controversial White Palm sculpture on Cleethorpes Promenade, despite the proposal never actually coming to fruition. As stated by Gi Grimsby News in previous articles, the project was scrapped to avoid further spiralling costs. 

You can read the original article here.

Responding to our text, Councillor Jackson said we had “resurrected” an old story “with no background and selective use of facts.” Gi Grimsby News disputes the claim. We specifically requested information from the council to look at the wider issue of accountability within the council, we used their statement in full, and made our reasons for reassessing the project clear in private correspondence with the council on multiple occasions.

Speaking to Gi Grimsby News. Councillor Jackson said he accepts responsibility for axing the project, but stressed that neither he nor anybody else from the Conservative administration was responsible for the original concept or design.

He said: “In 2017 the Government gave Coastal Communities grant funding to Cleethorpes for a variety of projects. The money was allocated to an organisation called CoastNEL, a partnership of local business people, arts, heritage and tourism groups as well as Council representation.  It was their role to commission the various projects, with NELC merely administering the funding.

“The projects were launched in 2018, including £750,000 for public art on the North Promenade. The idea of the White Palm was born, to be financed from that pot of money, and design work was commissioned. These decisions were taken whilst the previous Labour administration was in power; the Conservatives didn’t take control of the Council until May 2019.

“Whilst some of the projects on the North Prom were completed before Covid, the pandemic delayed progress with the White Palm. By June 2021, £38,000 had been spend on artists fees, consultation and the early stages of design and planning for the White Palm. However, by then it had become apparent that the White Palm would have cost £170,000 MORE than originally budgeted – this was a combination of underestimation of costs at the preliminary design stage, escalation of material costs (which happened to most projects post-covid) and covid delays. This additional £170,000 would have had to be paid by the Council Tax payer as there was insufficient Coastal Communities grant funding to cover such a major cost escalation.

“As Leader of the Council, I decided that this extra cost could not be justified, especially not for what was proving to be a very controversial project and one that had not been instigated by the Conservatives. I stand by my decision to cancel the White Palm at this point, and I’m sure most Council Tax Payers in North East Lincolnshire are in full support of my course of action.”

(Images: NELC)

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