OPINION is divided among local councillors as to how much they should get involved with the planned £4million refurbishment of Wellington Monument.

While the Mayor, Cllr Gary James, has said it is very important for Wellington Town Council to show its support for the project with a sizeable financial contribution, other councillors believe there are far more important and deserving projects which should be getting the authority’s cash.

The National Trust had been left disappointed after again being turned down by the Heritage Lottery Fund for financial backing of the monument restoration project.

Town councillors were told last week that it was unlikely the National Trust would bid for Lottery funding again so would now look at other avenues.

Councillors met Helen Sharp and Jenny Weston from the National Trust last month where plans were outlined to tackle the worst affected area of the monument, the top third of the 175ft three-sided obelisk.

This initial work is likely to cost £2million which would be financed from Government-backed Libor Fund money with the National Trust contributing the remainder.

It would then mean the National Trust launching its own fundraising scheme to raise the remaining £2million needed to complete the works and plans were under way to recruit a community fundraiser.

Cllr James said: “I’m sure the National Trust will be looking to us to start the fundraising and I’m sure they’d be very encouraged if we made a contribution to kick things off.

“As a town council we need to think seriously about this – it’s a no-brainer, we have to support our monument.

“We must be seen to be up front and supporting the venture. We need to think about putting some serious money into this.”

But Cllr John Thorne said the restoration of Wellington Monument needed to put into context against other issues in the town such as a train station or a playing field.

“We don’t own the Wellington Monument, we don’t have any rights on it, it’s not even in Wellington and it’s not like the town hall,” he said.

“If you put it into context of a playing field or a train station – those are much more important things than the monument.”

Cllr Bob Bowrah said the council was being ‘a bit premature banding around figures’ and that they would need to take their time on looking at the options available to them.

Councillors agreed to support the National Trust’s project in principle – although decisions on how much funding to provide will have to be made at a later date.

Wellington Monument on the Blackdown Hills was completed in the 1820s having been proposed a few years earlier following the Duke of Wellington’s 1815 victory at the Battle of Waterloo.

For the full story see this week’s Wellington Weekly News.

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