Tight line for our officials to walk

IT will be interesting to see how the councillors choose their path along the delicate tightrope of discussing the future of the Black’s Head carving.

More than one Ashbourne Town councillor has already publicly conceded that they cannot win, regardless of the decision they make.

“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” were the exact words.

Some people want the head to be put back on the gallows. Some want it to be squirrelled away in a museum. Some are so repulsed by it they never want it to see the light of day again.

So it leaves us with the most logical option now. To hold a public vote on its future. To let the town decide, once and for all, what should happen.

And as has been said before many times, it should be a local vote for the town, without the influences of people living outside. It’s our asset, our responsibility and it should be our decision.

But it’s easier said than done. Economically, it would be simple to hold an online poll, inviting people to choose from a series of options. But any online poll would be vulnerable to outside influences.

Social media could see it shared far and wide and the vote would quite quickly be skewed in favour of whichever view gathered the most attention.

A more secure way would be a local vote, perhaps carried out in a polling station, or by return of a form delivered through the letterboxes of all the doors in town. But that would be expensive, and who should pick up the bill?

If the route of consultation does get chosen, the results could be fascinating. Especially when we look back on the responses to a question we posed on Facebook last week. What should happen to the head? We asked.

The result? Of the 84 comments, counting every distinct response, there were 38 people wanting the head put back up, and nine wanting it put in a museum. Interesting.