MP demands roads scheme to replace toad scheme

Diana Johnson MP has welcomed Hull City Council's backdown on the Lib Dem plan to waste £200,000 towards putting giant model toads around Hull.

The Hull North MP said that the Council should now look at using the money towards a proper programme of road repairs across Hull.

On 3 March, the Lib Dem Council agreed to contribute £200,000 towards a project to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Philip Larkin's death. This included the £292,000 "Plague of Toads" - a temporary exhibition that will "populate the city with enormous decorated toads" for ten weeks later this year.

Diana Johnson MP said: "I am pleased that the outcry from tax-payers has shamed the Lib Dems into backing down on their wasteful model toad scheme.

"However, the Lib Dem Cabinet Member for Regeneration and the Council Leader were both in the weekend media defending using tax-payers' money for this toad project. Cllr Carl Minns said that my opposition was 'utterly disgraceful'.

"The Lib Dem Leader is now trying to deny that the model toad scheme had anything to do with him or his administration, and that he only became aware of it in recent days. However, as this decision was signed off within Hull City Council on 3 March, this does not ring true.

"To say that there are more sensible ideas than model toads for using £200,000 is understatement of the year.

"For example, rather than just go cap in hand to the Government for even more money, the Council could develop a planned scheme of proper road repairs, instead of the poor quality patch-ups that they have been doing. Let's replace the toad scheme with a roads scheme."

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