STATUE COULD BEON THE MOVE
COUNCILLORS have backed plans that could result in the relocation of a prominent Exeter statue.
The statue of Victorian war hero General Sir Redvers Buller and his horse, Biffen, stands on the corner of New North Road and Hele Road, outside the entrance to Exeter College.
It was erected by public subscription in 1905 but, last year, a review into the ‘continued appropriateness’ of the statue was launched, due to the army general’s connection to the British Empire and the names carved on the plinth of colonial campaigns which sought to advance British imperialist interests in other countries.
That review concluded that, without prejudice to a final decision on the matter, an application should be made for listing building consent for the relocation of the statue to an alternative location.
Exeter City Council’s executive, when they met on Tuesday, unanimously supported the recommendation, although any final decision, if planning permission was granted for the moving of the statue, would be made by full council at a later date.
Councillors stressed that no final decision had been made. Even if in a public consultation there is support for moving the statue, and permission is granted, it will only happen if the council has sufficient funds to carry out the work.
They stressed the statue would not be pulled down, but relocated to an alternative and more “appropriate” location.
The cost of the relocation of the statue has been estimated at a minimum of £25,000, and Councillor Amal Ghusain, Portfolio Holder for Communities & Culture, said that, even if after all the consultation recommended relocation, the council would prioritise services to residents above everything, saying: “Unless we can find a pot of money, it then still wouldn’t happen.”
The Scrutiny Task and Finish Group met on four occasions and took written and oral submissions from a range of stakeholders, including local historians and history groups, local Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Community Groups and a historian who has worked with Bristol City Council on their review into the siting of the statue of Edward Colston.
Following a discussion on the findings, the group members submitted their own position statements on the matter, which were also discussed, with three members voting to relocate the statue and two voting for it to remain in place.
The report says that discussions among the group included that the current location is inappropriate because it is outside an educational establishment which includes young people from diverse backgrounds, but that the statue’s future location should not be somewhere hidden from the public but be in a place, and linked to an organisation, that is in a better position to work with the public on the interpretation of the statue.
They also discussed that the advancement of the British Empire was founded on the premise that other nations and peoples were inferior, and British colonisation and rule would only be of benefit to them, and this statue and others like it cause pain to people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds as they serve as a constant reminder of the trauma that colonised countries experienced which gets passed down generations.
Consideration should be given to whether the statement “He saved Natal” on the plinth should be removed, was also a conclusion they made. Cllr Duncan Wood said what the group had suggested was a good course of action. He added: “This will trigger full public consultation and we want to hear from everyone in Exeter and that will decide what decision is made.” He went on: “In certain places, it isn’t appropriate to have reminders of British Empire’s history.”
But Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, leader of the Conservative Group, questioned whether this was the right time to be considering this course of action, calling it an “extra diversion” when there were other priorities.