Council leader says cliff sculpture 'not my cup of tea'

A new £54,000 sculpture installed in a Bournemouth clifftop has been described as "not my cup of tea" by the leader of the local council.

The Lean Into the Wind installation is part of a government-funded Coastal Public Art and Heritage Trail and was unveiled on Bournemouth's West Cliff last month.

At a Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council meeting a councillor asked whether the authority was also seeking funding for frontline services.

Leader Millie Earl said while officers were always seeking such funding, some of the grants were not for things "we as a council have an ambition to do". A government spokesperson said it was separately "making nearly £500m available" to the council.

The sculpture prompted backlash from locals who questioned the cost, and was developed with input from schoolchildren and community groups.

The trail aims to encourage visitors to explore the area's heritage.

At a BCP Council overview and scrutiny board meeting, councillor Gavin Wright said the council seemed "to able to get grants from government for various things like what is being done down in Poole Park and the statue up on the west cliff".

He added: "Are we perusing and searching for grants that we can get from central government that could be used in these areas where we are struggling, like SEND and adult social care?"

Millie Earl replied: "I agree with you in that some of the grants we get from central government are because central government wants to meet an aim nationally and they are not something we as a council have an ambition to do.

"Now that can apply to millions of different grants some of them, I support and others like the art piece on the clifftop, it's not my cup of tea, but the government very specifically gave us money for that."

She said it "doesn't make sense to me" how taxpayer money is not available for "the things that really make a difference in people's lives".

"Our teams are always looking at opportunity for grant money," she said.

"But we are always at the mercy of what grant funding is available for us to apply for."

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "This particular project was funded through the Local Regeneration Fund.

"This government has since invested in the Pride in Place programme, including three places in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, which puts neighbourhood boards - made up of local people - in the driving seat in deciding how to invest funding allocated to hundreds of communities across the country, ensuring it can really make a difference in people's lives.

"We're separately already making nearly £500m available for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council by 2028-29 through the Local Government Financial Settlement, so they can deliver public services for local people - an increase of 24.2% since 2024-25."