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Final closedown for £675,000 'Big Telly' amid fears of public spending squeeze
HULL's controversial "Big Telly" is to be switched off for good.
Civic leaders say they cannot afford the 200,000 cost of the massive city centre screen in the face of the impending squeeze on public spending.
It will now be taken down and put up for sale to try to recoup some of Hull Council's costs.
The television, which dominates Queen Victoria Square, has been controversial from the start.
Detractors said it never lived up to grandiose claims made by the Labour administration who spent 675,000 bringing it to the city. But many are wondering now whether it will be missed during big events like the Olympics and the World Cup.
Council leader Carl Minns said they had looked at moving the Big Screen to a less conspicuos location but the move would cost another 100,000. He added: "In terms of the ongoing maintenance and insurance costs, it isn't value for money."
The original deal was signed off by just two Labour councillors without cross-party discussion in a move that sparked a political storm. One was former council leader Colin Inglis, who said: "Only in Hull could this ever have been such a big issue. I despair sometimes of the petty politicking by small-minded councillors which has got us into this position."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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