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| A SYMBOL OF VULGAR OSTENTATION |
So when he met the pretentious Pooter Cockell he knew he could stick him with a massive £200,000 fee for welding some rusty girders together to plonk on the top of the new Holland Park School.
The Dame now has the exact cost of this ludicrous extravagance.
When Pooter rattles on about local councils running out of money tell him to stop lying....this old piece of metal has now cost taxpayers close to £200,000.
Why are councillors good targets for ambitious art entrepreneurs?
The answer is simple.....they love to be considered of highbrow taste: not dissimilar to our two ex councillors with an artistic 'bent'....Phelpsie and Lamont....
This old lump of metal could quite easily have been knocked up in the school's handicraft workshop
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for the Hornet. If the Dame was not keeping residents abreast of all this profligacy, who would?
DeleteMy jaw dropped when I read this one
ReplyDeleteThe recession never hit K&C. £100 million to build a £30 million school and topped off with a £200k art impression. Why not? Residents are the richest in the country. There is no need to budget. Spend it like it is
ReplyDeleteIn North Kensington they closed down an old people's luncheon club. Saving money to pay for this outrage and to lend £20k to Charles Saatchi.
ReplyDeletePass me the vomit bowl.
North Kensington residents will have a question or three about this. Lloyd North better get his answers ready
DeleteNorth Ken residents have no business asking questions. They are all on benefits
DeleteWhichever Councillors are responsible for this have quite simply lost the plot. This is a MASSIVE waste of public money. If they want to spend money on this kind of rubbish to boost their pitiful egos they should pay for it our of their pocket, not ours. And to think that this is an allegedly CONSERVATIVE authority spending tax payer's money on pure piffle ...
DeleteANOTHER 180K WILL BE WASTED ON ART AT NORTH KENSINGTON ACADEMY.
DeleteRESIDENTS OF LANCASTER WEST ESTATE WANTED THE MONEY SPENT TO IMPROVE THEIR RESIDENTIAL AMENITY AND PROVIDE A PATH UP TO LADBROKE GROVE.
THIS LEGITIMATE REQUEST WAS CRUSHED BY BOTH TORY AND LABOUR COUNCILLORS WHO BELIEVE THAT PUFFING UP THEIR EGO'S WITH A VANITY ART PROJECT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HELPING PROTECT THE WELLBEING OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY HAVE BEEN ELECTED TO REPRESENT.
I knew local authorities were often viewed as mugs when it came to "art" but this appears to take the biscuit. Just what the hell is that? How on earth can someone consider that even remotely artistic? Has someone tried to sell the Council a bridge yet?
ReplyDeleteIt would have cost £8k to put it up. Heavy lifting crane, staff and police escort for a day
ReplyDeleteIt looks "very Colin HalL". Little runt
ReplyDeleteLabour has apparently belatedly removed the party whip from a certain Cllr O'Neil. One wonders if this particular scandal is in any way related to his alleged community art charities.
ReplyDelete'Belatedly?' Nearly a year ago now.
DeleteWe can only imagine how far into the fetid pit of K&C arts O'Neill was prepared to throw himself in the pursuit of dirty money, along with the non-corrupt but sadly daffy Nick PB.
If anyone should wear a 'mug me now' t-shirt, it's NPB.
Cllr. O'Neil's real problem apparently lies with the faeries. And the stuff that makes you fly (not Red Bull).
DeleteCouncillors were told that this is being paid for by a "benefactor". Only £40,000 or so from the Council. They had to spend extra as Gormley made it bigger than originally stated, so they had to check again to make sure that it won't fall off the building.
ReplyDeleteThat would be amusing were it not costing the Council money better spent elsewhere.
DeleteThe real question is why is the Council so apparently docile and compliant? The minute Gormley turned up with a larger than expected sculpture that was going to cost serious money to install they should have told him where to stick it. Sideways.
Probably the best use for it too.
The Council invariably turns to blancmange when faced with the wealthy and famous. Our elected representatives reserve their spite and venom for the poor and disadvantaged.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite right that children should be introduced to art appreciation at an early age. Three cheers for whoever decided to spend this money. And a well known artist. HPS firing on all the right cylinders. Just need to re school the N Ken kids in N Ken and the Headmaster has completed his mission. Hats off to Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell, ex Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
ReplyDeleteHats off for what?
DeleteMatthew
DeleteWhen I asked you could write a congratulatory comment I warned you to ensure that it did not appear as if I instigated it. Nor did I want anything so cloyingly sycophantic. You wonder why, in all these years, I never gave you an important job. Your inability to do even the simplest things, as instructed is the answer. You have embarrassed me horribly.
MC
What has Anthony Gormley got to do with K & C or Holland Park anyway ? Holland Park School has always had an excellent Art Department. Why didn't the school or council place the commission with an alumnus of the school ? Typically they went for a 'name' and just wrote out a cheque. Pathetic !
DeleteNot so long ago the children of Holland Park School were setting fire to parked cars in Campden Hill. Now they study under Gormley art and sit on designer chairs.
ReplyDeleteDear Cllr Cockell,
ReplyDeleteIs a report (from Hornet's Nest) that K&C has paid close on £200,000 to have a Gormley mast added to HP School correct? If so, how can this be justified, please?
Dear Mr Barker-Main,
Holland Park School is an Academy and therefore entirely independent of the Council. I suggest that you ask them about the sculpture.
Regards,
Merrick Cockell
Yes true entirely independent so that's why we gave them £100 million stupid.
DeleteReally this is just yet another reason to show how utterly bloody hopeless Merrick Cockell is ; talk about being out of one's depth.
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