The Public is just a big embarrassment

Jan 27 2009 by Richard McComb, Birmingham Post

It is always difficult to let go when dying beasts are concerned.

While there remains the realistic chance of survival, and the possibility of a decent quality of life, one is tempted to provide on-going care. Hang the expense, we say. If there’s a chance she might pull through, we aren’t going to give up.

On occasions, however, there is no point prolonging the agony. Painful as it is, it’s impossible to escape the fact that the time has come to call in the vet to administer the lethal, loving injection. It’s best all round, really. We wouldn’t want her to suffer.

So it is with the poor pink elephant of West Bromwich, although there won’t be many tears shed when the needle goes in.

For in truth few people have ever been near her; fewer still love her.

The elephant in question also goes by the totalitarian name of The Public and is a part-time conceptual arts centre and full-time waste of space.

The Public (thank goodness they didn’t forget the “l”) started life as a white elephant but turned pink when the tremendously clever architects commissioned with frittering away our cash decided to touch up the blobby daylight openings (otherwise known as windows) in ghastly shades of Barbie.

But this isn’t any old waste of space. For the people of West Bromwich, a deluded attempt to bring arts to the masses simply wasn’t good enough. No, that had been done before.

Old hat, dear boy. This had to be a deluded attempt to bring arts to the masses on a grand, utterly tasteless, utterly useless scale.

The Public came in massively over budget, opened late and the digital widget things that were meant to inspire failed to work because the wiring and the cabling was as effective as spaghetti.

Oh, yes, and then there’s the money. We better mention that. It’s cost £60million of public money to keep this elephant afloat amid a tsunami of management ineptitude.

In most parts of the country, even in the South East, £60million is a lot of cash. It may only get you slightly over half a Kaka but it will pay the wages of many, many teachers, police officers, nurses, doctors and bods who are generally working for the greater good.

Remember, too, that West Bromwich is part of Sandwell, which is one of the most deprived areas of Britain. According to a briefing note, Indices of Deprivation: Sandwell 2007, published last summer, the borough ranks as the 10th most hard-up in the country, putting it on a par with Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Infant mortality and teenage conception rates are above the national average while academic attainment is well below.

Is an area with problems as entrenched as these best served with “a dynamic space with no vertical walls”? Has there been a more crass attempt to patronise the working classes?

The Arts Council may pull the plug today. That the decision has taken so long beggars belief.