The BBC today reported that Hackney Borough Council had painted over a popular mural by the grafiti artist Banksy. Despite the fact that the piece of art was on private property and the owner had not given permission for the ‘work’ to be carried out, the council used taxpayers’ money to cover the popular local attraction with a coat of thick, black paint. Such a display of ignorance and petulance should not be surprising, however.
At the risk of generalising, my experience of local councils is that they are run by people who have enough self-importance and pig-headedness to pursue a career in politics, yet lack the intelligence and imagination needed to win a national seat.
Unfortunately local politicians still have plenty of opportunity to exercise arbitrary power; virtually every town in Britain has been plighted by post-war tower blocks, shopping centres, urban motorways and multi-story car parks. In his current tv series, 'Saving Britain’s Past', architectural critic Tom Dyckhoff presents an episode about Bath City Council’s attempts to destroy the town's unique architectural heritage, due to a complete lack of imagination or cultural awareness by local politicians. Pressed to comment on his decision to demolish dozens of Georgian terraces in the 1970s one Bath councillor stated “It seemed the right thing to do at the time . . . we had many Georgian houses and we were going to get a shiny new shopping development out of it." A similar menality still prevails in Hackney Borough Council.
Melrose
Well I'm sure you're right in part but it may just be that people's life situation doesn't permit them to go national or they may just be running out of years. the ugliest building in our town is the police station (circa 1980, I reckon). It's a monstrosity on stilts built with grey bricks which is right next to the relief road built about ten years later. Doesn't show any signs of falling down unfortunately. In fact, thinking about it, they might just as well have built the police station on the dual carriageway around the town as the police mainly seem to travel by car - getting out of the town must slow them down a lot.