BANKSY'S RECENT MURAL GOES TO PUBLIC VOTE FOR ITS FATE

A LONDON COUNCIL IS OFFERING ITS RESIDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE WHETHER A BANKSY MURAL SHOULD STAY OR GO. THE ART WORK, DEPICTING A PUNK LEAFING THROUGH INSTRUCTIONS BESIDE A BOX LABELED 'IEAK', APPEARED IN SUTTON, SOUTH WEST LONDON, ABOUT TEN DAYS AGO. A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WORK ON BANKSY'S WEBSITE CONFIRMED THAT THE NEW IMAGE WAS INDEED THE ARTIST'S WORK. SINCE INVITING PEOPLE TO EMAIL IN LAST THURSDAY, THE COUNCIL HAS RECEIVED MORE THAN 100 EMAILS, WITH 85% RULING THAT THE GRAFFITI-ARTWORK SHOULD STAY. COLIN HALL. EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR ENVIRONMENT ON SUTTON COUNCIL, SAID THAT THE PIECE "CAUGHT THE IMAGINATION", AND THAT THE DECISION TO RETAIN OR REMOVE IT SHOULD BE A PUBLIC ONE. "WE DON'T TOLERATE GRAFFITI IN SUTTON, AND HAVE A PAIR OF DEDICATED TEAMS WHO GO OUT DAILY TO REMOVE IT. BUT WE'RE WELL AWARE THAT MANY PEOPLE SEE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MINDLESS TAGGING AND A WORK SUCH AS THIS." THE MOVE COMES AFTER A DIFFERENT LONDON AUTHORITY WAS CRITICIZED LAST MONTH FOR REMOVING A SKETCH BY BANKSY, WHOSE WORKS HAVE SOLD FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF POUNDS. OFFICIALS FROM HACKNEY COUNCIL PAINTED OVER A CARTOON THAT HAD BEN LEFT UNTOUCHED ON THE SIDE OF A BLOCK OF FLATS IN STOKE NEWINGTON, EAST LONDON, FOR EIGHT YEARS, LEAVING THE BUILDING'S OWNER 'DEVASTATED'. IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A DECISION OVER WHETHER TO RETAIN A PIECE OF BANKSY'S ARTWORK HAS BEEN PUT TO THE PUBLIC. BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL SET UP AN ONLINE POLL IS 2005, ASKING VOTERS WHETHER A PIECE APPEARING ON A COUNCIL-OWNED BUILDING SHOULD BE REMOVED, WITH 93% SAYING IT SHOULD BE KEPT. THE COUNCIL IN BRISTOL, WHERE THE ARTIST IS BELIEVED TO LIVE, IS PLANNING TO PERMANENTLY DEVOTE A SECTION OF ITS WEBSITE TO BANKSY 'GRAFFITI' LATER THIS YEAR, GIVING THE PUBLIC THE CHANCE TO VOTE BEFORE MURALS ON BUILDINGS, WALLS AND FENCES ARE REMOVED. RESIDENTS OF SUTTON HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THIS MONTH TO REGISTER THEIR VIEWS.