Dales chief says county failing to grasp the local stance on carving
THE leader of Derbyshire Dales District Council has said an official letter sent to him criticising the authority’s decision over the Black’s Head sculpture shows an “incomplete understanding” of its stance.
Derbyshire County Council’s leader Barry Lewis wrote to district council leader Garry Purdy last week calling for a full public consultation into what should happen to the wooden carving, which is seen by many as a “racist caricature”.
He pointed out that the St John Street sign’s historic significance afforded it Listed status, and that any decision on whether to remove it would require planning permission.
Councillor Purdy has expressed his disappointment that the letter, sent directly to him, was also given to the News Telegraph – and he has sent a statement addressing the points Councillor Lewis made in his letter.
His statement reads: “Unfortunately the letter revealed an incomplete understanding of the recent resolution agreed by the district council on this matter and I was keen to point this out in my reply the following day.
“This would have been the end of the matter had Councillor Lewis’s own letter not been released to the media.
“The Ashbourne News Telegraph subsequently published an article but did not contact us for our side of the story, which was disappointing.
“While I would personally have preferred the correspondence with Cllr Lewis to have remained private, I now feel I must stress that the district council’s decision not to return the figure to its original location is subject to Listed building consent being received – and that officers have been asked to consult with Ashbourne Town Council, the neighbouring parish councils and Ashbourne Heritage Society in relation to the future of the head and sign.
“This information is in the public domain following the resolution approved at our 14 December council meeting, which can be watched again on our Youtube channel at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/ videos
“I can confirm that, as agreed, we intend to start very shortly the consultation exercise before applying for listed building consent,” Cllr Purdy added.
“This will mean that the application can accurately reflect this consultation and hopefully lead to a positive proposal as to what should happen to both the head figure and sign.”
During the meeting Mr Purdy was referring to, district councillors agreed that they did not want to see the head, which is being stored in the Derbyshire Records Office, going back up on the gallows.
Ashbourne Town Council responded to this at a subsequent meeting, with some members supporting a view expressed by the public that townsfolk should be given a chance to have their say on whether it should go back up, rather than the district council – which owns the sign.
The controversy surrounding the head began in June, when a petition was launched to call for its removal – more than 80,000 people signed it.
A counter-petition gathered in more than 10,000 signatures calling for it to stay in place, but tempers flared in the wake of the George Floyd killing and the sign was whisked away for safe keeping as fears grew for its safety.
The carving has watched over the town for many decades and historians seem unable to settle on an unofficial historic story to how it came to exist – which is why Derbyshire Dales District Council wanted to involve Ashbourne Heritage Society. Although this consideration was also criticised by Ashbourne Town Council.
In his letter, Councillor Lewis also pointed out a new law, announced by Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, designed to protect historic statues.
However, since the letter was made public, Historic England has confirmed that the new proposals, due to begin in the spring, are largely to offer some level of protection to memorials and plaques which are not listed.
As The Greenman pub sign is listed, a spokesman told us, it would not be affected by Mr Jenrick’s new guidance.
I hope for a positive proposal as to what should happen to the head figure and sign
Cllr Garry Purdy