This is why Turning Point ended up costing £13,000

The Journal revealed on Friday that the statue cost more than £13,000 to install. 

It has been designed and gifted to the city by British sculptor John Maine, and was initially proposed as part of the 800th anniversary of the founding of Salisbury Cathedral.

Paul Cunningham, Salisbury city councillor for Harnham West and leader of the Conservative Group, said: “SCC needs to learn the lessons about communications and cost management. 

“Turning Point was originally described on the SCC website as having been donated (with no mention of installation cost) and the cost over ran because of electricity cables that should have been known about." 

Paul added: "More generally, public art can sometimes play a legitimate role but I worry that it is often a sign that councillors are distracted by easy projects rather than grappling with the important issues.”

Due to the coronavirus, the piece was stuck in Aberdeen for much of 2020.

Work started on installing the sculpture earlier this year, with groundworks taking place on March 17. 

Named ‘Turning Point’, the artistic piece is intended as a “marker of confidence”, “reinforcing close links between the cathedral and the city”, as well as marking the passage of time.

It follows on from John’s extensive exhibition in the Cathedral and throughout the Close and Sarum College in 2014.

He has also exhibited drawings and small sculptures in the Young Gallery beside the Market Place.

At 4.2 metres high, it is built in seven courses of granite and shaped in the form of a spire.

'Keen for more public art'

Cllr Annie Riddle (Image: Salisbury City Council)

Annie Riddle, independent councillor for Harnham West, said: “I am keen to see more public art in Salisbury, and not just in the Close. We need to make our whole city centre more interesting and more fun, and offer something distinctive to keep people coming back. 

“Whether you think something is good value is bound to be influenced by whether you personally like it. So why not have several sites for sculptures, but change them from time to time?

“Maybe there should be an annual budget for such things? As a council ‘newbie’ I’ll have to find out what, if anything, we could afford!”

Victoria Charleston, leader of the Lib Dems, said: "The gift of the Turning Point statue was accepted by the previous administration and the cost of installation agreed by the previous Conservative Leader of Salisbury City Council.

"Whilst £13,000 sounds high, the cost was built into last year's budget and for that sum we have a piece of work that commemorates the 800th year of Salisbury Cathedral - the celebrations of which we sadly missed out on last year.

"I look forward to scrutinising decisions about further artwork to our city carefully and involving our community in deciding on the future of how our city should look."

Salisbury City Council has been contacted for comment. 

The leaders of all political parties have also been contacted.