Banksy's artworks cost UK taxpayers nearly £150,000
Banksy works cost public almost £150k
Three Banksy murals and installations have cost UK taxpayers almost £150,000 in cleaning, security, and removal efforts, with the bill expected to rise. The most expensive was a mural on the Royal Courts of Justice, where removal and security costs exceeded £85,000. The Ministry of Justice spent £50,000 on paint removal and £35,300 on overtime and security. Other works, including a statue in Waterloo Place and a piranha-painted police box, added to the costs. The spending has reignited debate over whether Banksy's work is vandalism or valuable public art.
It's outrageous that tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money – maybe more – will have to be spent cleaning up after Banksy, who seems to believe he has a right to deface public buildings with impunity.
- ryandrake
The article's photo of the art barricaded from public view with two security people standing guard in front of it speaks even louder than the original artwork.
And then, further down in the article, the picture of a whole structure built to block the view of the piece, with a locked door. Satire writing itself!
- scott_w
For the comments questioning why the MoJ are doing this, and the reason for the costs, the information can be found in the article:
> A HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) spokesperson said: "The Royal Courts of Justice is a listed building and HMCTS are obliged to maintain its original character."
This is the why. HMCTS don't have the option to "just leave it" because they're obligated by legislation to remove the graffiti. Discussions about whether it'll bring in tourism are irrelevant to the discussion. The law requires the listed building to be maintained in its original state, so the government department follows the law.
As for the costs:
> Court staff barricaded off the area and guarded it. Attempts to clean off the mural began immediately.
> Westminster City Council will have to inspect the wall and if the removal is deemed incomplete, another cleaning method will have to be used.
> As a final option, the affected stonework may have to be removed and replaced.
> A Listed Building Consent (LBC) application has been submitted for the installation of railings across the wall that Banksy targeted.
All of this costs money, it's not just a case of putting a bit of turps on the wall and job done. It'll require experts to remove it without causing further damage.
- tptacek
In case it's not clear from the story: a big part of the expense here is that the mural was painted onto the Royal Courts of Justice building, which is a Grade I preserved building, putting it in the same tier of building preservation as the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster. Some of the things you'd do to get graffiti off a subway tunnel wall or a brutalist municipal building in the US (like using a high-powered pressure washer) can't be done to the RCJ building without risking damage to the structure.
- bArray
Banksy is an establishment-approved protestor, they promote him regularly [1]. His artwork is regularly on display in galleries [2]. They could easily seize the works to pay for costs, but don't. His name is supposedly Robin Gunningham from Bristol [3], they could take him to court. The whole thing is ridiculous.
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cp7r8vglgj1t
- nzoschke
Technically this is vandalism of a govt building.
If they're so concerned about cost, why not do what you'd do with any other vandal with a spray paint can...
Immediately paint over it with grey paint to neutralize the "blight", then efficiently do a deeper clean / removal / repair the facade.
Seems like they gave the Banksy very special treatment of fence, guards, etc. and now are paying for the side effects of that.