Uncertainty about repair date for city center fountain

Work is underway to repair the fountains in Hull's Queen Victoria Square but there is no guarantee they will be open in the summer, a councilor has said.

Jack Haines, who sits in Hull City Council's cabinet, told the BBC he “would like to hope” they will be open in the coming months, but could not confirm an exact date.

He also announced that work is continuing to reopen public toilets in the same area.

A month after it was confirmed that a paddling pool at Pickering Park, also maintained by the council, would be closed for the second day in a row.

Emma Hardy, MP for Hull West and Hessle, told BBC Radio Humberside that she had been contacted by “frustrated” constituents and “doesn't understand why there is so much difficulty”.

She said: “We want people to come downtown, spend money and have fun. We have to know what is happening and how we want to regulate it.”

“They (the fountains and toilets) have been closed for so long. I spoke to the council months ago and was under the impression that the issue would be resolved quickly.”

The fountains next to the town hall were installed in the run-up to Hull's 2017 City of Culture year, but have been closed several times due to mechanical problems.

A Hull City Council spokesman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he hoped the toilets beneath the Queen Victoria statue would reopen later this month.

Mr Haines added: “We want to get these things open as quickly as possible.”

“We will always say we can move faster, work harder and do more, but there are limitations on councils and we are working as hard as we can. We know it’s important to people.”

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