Protesters gather at Shrewsbury’s Quantum leap over costs
A protest over the construction cost of the Quantum Leap sculpture on Smithfield Road in Shrewsbury took place this morning.
Around 30 people gathered around the sculpture at 10am in protest of the costs of what many call the ‘slinky’ or ‘toast rack’.
Earlier this month it was revealed the cost the sculpture is set to increase. Shropshire Council is to pay contractors responsible for the Quantum Leap £410,000 after accepting an independent adjudicator’s ruling following a disagreement between the contractor and the contract administrator.
The amount will take the total cost of the project commissioned by the former Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council to over £1million. The project had an original budget of £350,000.
Councillor Jon Tandy, who was at the protest, said" We need to make the most of the Quantum Leap sculture now that its here, however the district auditor has been requested to carry out a full investigation into the costs. We hope it shows who was responsible for the decision to approve the finacing and make sure that future decisions on similar projects are thoroughly thought through."
The total additional amounts to be paid to the contractor are £410,000. The cost of professional expert advice and legal fees in taking the case to adjudication was £115,000. A total of £525,000 will have to be paid.
The Quantum Leap structure was built in 2009 to commemorate the birth of Shrewsbury's most famous son Charles Darwin 200 years ago.
