Oxfordshire County Council defends £30k 'living wall' experiment

The "living wall" is outside the county council's headquarters as part of a trial

A council has defended a £30,000 trial that will see if plants outside its headquarters can improve air quality.

Oxfordshire County Council has built a "living wall" in County Hall's car park in Oxford to see if it can help cut pollution.

But an opposition councillor said the six-month trial was a "kick in the teeth" to the county's taxpayers.

The authority said groups have inquired as to whether they could have part of the living wall after the trial.

A council spokesperson said it was "trialling green infrastructure that could potentially improve air quality in areas most in need of improvement".

The authority said the living wall "could potentially be one method of improving air quality"

They said the wall "could potentially be one method of improving air quality" in Oxfordshire.

The £30,000 price tag includes the full cost of the pilot and a subsequent review.

But Conservative Liam Walker said it was a "complete waste of money".

"Tackling air pollution is important but constructing this awful structure next to a road that is closed to private vehicles anyway is a kick in the teeth to Oxfordshire taxpayers," he said.

"In the same month the council has a motion about the cost of living and the Lib Dem/Labour/Green coalition go and approve this waste of money. This is nothing more than gesture politics and residents are paying the price for it."

The structure will be dismantled into three sections which could be sent out to groups across Oxfordshire after the trial, the spokesperson said, with schools and community groups already expressing interest.