A £54,000 sculpture overlooking Bournemouth beach has provoked anger among residents, who have described the installation as an eyesore and questioned whether public money should have been spent on it.
Named Lean into the Wind, the artwork stands on Bournemouth’s West Cliff and was designed to reflect the town’s seaside identity and coastline.
The sculpture appears to depict a ship’s figurehead mounted on a bronze-coloured metal plinth, with three posts behind it possibly representing Bournemouth Pier. The council said ideas from schoolchildren helped inform its creation.
Some residents have branded the work a “pile of scrap metal”, while others have criticised the decision to fund it amid concerns about homelessness, potholes, litter and the condition of public spaces.
One resident said: “Are you actually joking! There’s people starving, people on the streets, […] horrendous road works, roads being made worse and you’re putting up sculptures no one asked for, no one wanted, looks absolutely pathetic.”
They added: “Absolute waste of money! You should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves!”
Another critic described it as “three rusted steel beams concreted into the ground and a green head plonked on top”, arguing that the money would have been better spent on “hedge cutting, pothole filling, street lighting, bin emptying” and cleaning.
Other comments questioned what the sculpture was intended to represent and called it a waste of taxpayers’ money. One resident said BCP Council had “absolutely lost the plot”, citing the need for cleaning, safety services and action on homelessness.
Bournemouth sculpture funded through Government programme
BCP Council, whose largest party is the Liberal Democrats, said the artwork was financed through the UK Government Coastal Public Art & Heritage Trail and the Local Regeneration Fund.
Councillor Andy Martin, cabinet member for customer, communications and culture, said the funding meant there had been no choice between the artwork and local services, and that council taxpayers’ money had not been used for the project.
He said the sculpture was part of a series of artworks being installed along the coastline to celebrate the area’s heritage, environment and identity.
“We know public art will always spark different opinions, and not every piece will be to everyone’s taste,” he said. “That’s the beauty of art, it starts conversations, encourages debate and helps people connect with the places where they live.”
The council has said the project will create lasting improvements to public spaces for residents and visitors. However, critics have argued that Government grants are still derived from taxpayers’ money, even when they do not come directly from council tax revenue.
Jo Keeling, a former police officer and BCP community campaigner, said public art could enhance an area but questioned whether the installation represented value for money.
“Imagine what £54,000 could contribute towards along our coastline, repairing paths and steps, improving accessibility, restoring benches and shelters, upgrading tired public spaces, improving lighting or tackling the everyday deterioration residents and visitors can actually see,” she said.
BCP Council revealed last year that it was £370 million in debt. The authority has also cancelled popular events, including the Bournemouth Air Festival, saying it could no longer afford to manage them.
