Freedom Of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) – Statues

freedom of information act 2000 (foi act) – statues your request for information has now been considered. the council holds some of the inf

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) – Statues
Your request for information has now been considered. The Council
holds some of the information requested.
You asked:
1. When was the last time (if ever) the council undertook a review of
statues, plaques and public monuments in your area, with the purpose
of deciding whether any ought to be removed from public display?
As far as we are aware, the Council has not undertaken a review of
statues, plaques and public monuments with the purpose of deciding if
any of them should be removed from public display. This is therefore
information not held. The Council does maintain a list of public art
works and periodically reviews existing statues in the city from a
health and safety perspective. All proposals for new public art works
are assessed against the Council’s Public Art guiding principles and
one of the key recommendations for new artwork is its quality as a
piece of public art for display in the public realm of the City.
2. Since 7 June 2020, has your council committed to a review of
statues, plaques and public monuments in your area, with the purpose
of deciding whether any ought to be removed from public display?
On the 10th June, the Council undertook a review of information on
links to the Slave Trade in Leicestershire, based on a search of
existing resources, including names and links to the city. This did
not flag up any obvious links to the city or to any statues, street
names or names of buildings. Having said that, it was not an
exhaustive search, so should not be considered as comprehensive
information. Based on this information, the Council is in the process
of agreeing if a formal review of statues, plaques and public
monuments is required at this point in time.
3. Did your council remove any statues, plaques or public monuments
from public display in the calendar year 2019? If so, please state
which pieces were removed, when, and for what reason.
One piece of art work on Yeoman Street in the city, created as part of
the first Bring the Paint Street Art Festival in 2017, was removed on
13/06/2019. The temporary art work, which was painted on boards, was
removed at the request of the owner due to structural and health and
safety concerns, rather than because of the content.
4. Did your council receive any requests to remove any statues,
plaques or public monuments from public display in the calendar year
of 2019, on the grounds that they commemorate figures with links to
slavery and/or colonialism? If so, please specify the
statues/plaques/public monuments in question, and the number of
representations each received.
We are not aware of any such requests or representations. This is
therefore information not held.
5. If your answer to 4) is ‘yes’ - have any statues, plaques or public
monuments been removed from public display as a result of such public
requests/complaints? If so, please specify the statues/plaques/public
monuments in question.
We are not aware of removal of any art work / statues / plaques or
public monuments, apart from the street art work referred to in 3.
Above. This is therefore information not held.
You may re-use the information under an Open Government Licence.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, please
write, explaining your grounds of appeal, to
[email protected]