A council in a financial mire has come in for fierce criticism after its leader suggested forking out £10,000 for a statue of Jane Austen.
Hampshire County Council is trying to find £90 million in cuts, that may include a loss of school crossing patrols, cutbacks in the number of services and grants, as well as freezing spending on road maintenance.
However, despite the apparent lack of cash, Conservative council leader Rob Humby wants to help finance Winchester Cathedral’s plan to construct a new memorial to honour novelist Austin ahead of the 250th anniversary of her birthday.
One enraged resident branded the idea a “kick in the teeth”, while another sarcastically asked: “And they have no money because?”.
Getting to the nub of the issue, one local wrote: “It’s debatable whether funds should be spent at all whilst the Council is strapped for cash.”
Another mocked the council by comparing members to someone who was frivolous with cash, saying: “This is the council that is cutting all services to minimum levels right?
“So analogy would be someone only eating beans on toast, just about paying their bills and then wanting to buy a pair of Air Jordans so they can show them off!
“They have to decide on giving money, Simple answer NO, the councils say they’re broke, cutting services etc. Kick in the teeth to the suffering if they do.”
The plan to erect a statue in honour of the author has drawn controversy for a number of years. Originally, the Winchester Cathedral-led project would see the council provide £25,000, however the design was criticised for being too “Mills & Boon” and “too kitsch for such a refined setting”.
The Cathedral has revised its 2019 plan and come back with a new proposal for a £10,000 memorial, featuring a life-sized statue of Austen along the path of her funeral cortege.
The state is hoped to be put up in the Inner Close by 2025, to mark the anniversary of her birth in 1775.
In spite of the furore around the 2019 design, which was presented by the same sculptor Martin Jennings, the Cathedral hopes it will win approval.
Vice-Dean Canon Roland Riem said: “Winchester Cathedral Chapter is delighted to be reviving this project, in a greatly revised form, as a lasting contribution to the 250th anniversary celebrations of Jane Austen’s birth.
“As Martin Jennings has recently been trusted with the King’s portrait, so I hope he will be trusted to deliver a stunning memorial sculpture of Austen for Winchester and Hampshire.
“What a joy it will be for its visitors from 2025 to meet there a woman confident of her place at the table of Britain’s greatest novelists.”
