Penrith council faces questions over misspelled signs repair costs

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 1 Nov, 06:15 · Archive

Penrith Town Council is facing scrutiny over who will pay to correct a spelling error on £170,000 wayfinding signs.

A town council is facing questions over the cost of fixing errors on expensive new signage, which misspelled 'St Andrew's' as 'St Andew's'. Penrith Town Council has come under scrutiny after former councillor Jeff Thomson raised concerns about who would pay to correct spelling mistakes on recently installed wayfinding signs, which form part of a £170,000 improvement scheme. The signs were designed and manufactured in the south of England and installed around Penrith to replace old, damaged, or missing signage.

Mr Thomson said he emailed councillors asking for reassurance that the costs would not fall to taxpayers through the town precept. He alleged a lack of response from councillors, saying this raised concerns about democracy and accountability. Instead of replies, he said he received an email from a town council officer stating it was not appropriate for individual councillors to respond.

Mr Thomson questioned the role of councillors, asking: 'Why have councillors if they are not allowed to answer a legitimate question from a resident?' He has since submitted several Freedom of Information requests to Penrith Town Council and Borderlands Inclusive Growth about the scheme, which was funded by the public purse. The council said it is dealing with the formal request and cannot comment on the matter while it remains under review.

Penrith council faces questions over misspelled signs repair costs — Image: Westmorland Gazette

Comments (0)

How it is being reported

Council asked for reassurance that taxpayers won't fund fixing of misspelled signsPenrith Town Council faces questions over correcting spelling errors on £170,000 wayfinding signs, amid concerns about taxpayer costs and accountability.Westmorland Gazette · 1 Nov, 05:00
Council asked for reassurance that taxpayers won't fund fixing of misspelled signsPenrith Town Council faces questions over correcting spelling errors on £170,000 wayfinding signs, amid concerns about taxpayer costs and accountability.News & Star · 1 Nov, 05:00

In this story: Penrith Town Council · Jeff Thomson · Penrith · Borderlands Inclusive Growth

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log