'A misguided waste': Outrage as cash-strapped council spends £35,000 on corgi statues paying tribute to late Queen

7 October 2024, 10:23 | Updated: 7 October 2024, 10:27

A cash-strapped council has come under fire after reportedly paying £35,000 for statues of two corgis in a tribute to the late Queen.

Walsall council commissioned the pair of stone corgis, which are now on display at Walsall Arboretum, for the princely sum of £35k - despite being forced to slash council spending.

The statues, branded "a misguided waste" by one local resident, were unveiled as the arboretum celebrated its 150th anniversary.

But despite being welcomed by many, the large stone dogs have led some residents to question whether the money could have been better spent.

It comes as the local authority announced it was looking to slash £20million from its budget in 2024.

The statue's unveiling comes as locals pointed out that council tax for those living in the area has recently been raised by 4.99 per cent.

The pair of giant stone dogs, which measure some 5ft long, were designed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II and her beloved dogs following her death.

One local said they failed to "see the point" of the statues.

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Louise Bennett, West Midlands Lord Vice Lieutenant wrote of the unveiling: "Proud to represent the West Midlands Lord Lieutenant at the Walsall Arboretum where we unveiled a beautiful statue/s (Corgis) to commemorate and celebrate the life and service of HM Queen Elizabeth II."

Describing it as a "wonderful occasion", Ms Bennett's post featuring the statues saw many users criticise the expenditure.

"If the news reports are to be believed these have cost Walsall taxpayers £35,000. Is that really acceptable under the current climate and something to be proud of?" wrote one social media user.

Adding: "I love Walsall, but this is a misguided waste."

Writing on Facebook, another resident commented: "I could perhaps understand a statue of the late Queen, but her dogs? Spending on anything like this when services are being cut is ridiculous."

Another asked: "Have they really not got anything better to spend people's money on?"

Another social media user added: "Could have put that money to animal shelters and rescues that full and not coping."

It comes just months after a new statue commemorating the life of Queen Elizabeth II received mixed reviews after locals said the monument doesn’t look ‘right’.

The bronze sculpture, created by north Belfast artist Anto Brennan, was unveiled in Antrim Castle Gardens last month but received

One tourist visiting the castle with two friends from El Salvador said the statue ‘doesn’t seem like the queen’.

"The dogs and Prince Philip look nice, but the queen, it doesn’t look like her," he said.

Another visitor commented: "Something's not right about her upper body posture and her right arm but it’s still lovely to see her".

One online commentator wrote: “The figures have really odd proportions, and the poses are ‘off’.

“Oddly enough the corgi is not terrible.”