Fountains' future to be decided in social media poll

Peterborough City Council said it usually spends about £20k a year on running costs for the water feature in Cathedral Square

A social media poll about whether to continue to spend money on a city's decorative fountains has been organised by a council.

Peterborough City Council said it usually spends about £20k a year on running costs for the water feature in Cathedral Square.

This year it could cost more than £35k to get them working properly.

A poll posing the question of whether to get them "back up and running" or "keep them switched off" is running on all its social media accounts.

The council said its regular yearly spending on the water feature included routine maintenance, water testing and the cost of water and chemicals.

At least an additional £15k is needed this year to get the fountains working, which includes an upgrade to the dousing unit system and pump which maintains the correct chemical balance.

Conservative council leader, Wayne Fitzgerald, said the 13-year-old fountains had become "more prone to faltering" in the past couple of years and needed more maintenance as they aged.

He said that while the council was now "financially sustainable" it had had to "look very hard at every penny that we spend" to get to that point and "question whether it's a good use of taxpayers' money".

"I know that there are many people who like [the fountains], indeed I do - and many children too - and it makes our city centre look attractive, but on the flipside, they are becoming more costly to operate and this will only continue," he said.

"So, we want to throw the question open to you, the public. Do you love them or not? Should we keep the fountains in good order and get them back up and running this year or should we keep them switched off?"

The poll will run on the council's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages until the end of 7 June. Residents can also email the council with their views.