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Bidding for fountains: Cllr Jonathan Glanz, pictured left with resident Michael Pritchett says there is plenty of support |
Politician wants drinking water on tap in heart of the West End
New city councillor bids for fountains from Soho to Berkeley Squares
A DRINKING fountain in every square in the borough: this is the proposal from the council’s newest elected member Jonathan Glanz, who hopes it will put central London at the forefront of the drive to get people drinking tap water.
The Conservative councillor wants the fountains, which haven’t been a feature in the West End since before the Second World War, in some of the most prestigious squares in the borough, among them Grosvenor Square, Soho Square and Berkeley Square.
The proposals are still in their infancy, but Cllr Glanz says he has already approached Thames Water, local landowners and suppliers, to talk about how they could get between eight and 12 trickling water by next spring.
The bulk of the cost will come from the £100,000 West End ward budget where Cllr Glanz was elected to be one of three councillors following a byelection victory last month.
But he also hopes that by restoring redundant fountains, such as the one in St Anne’s church gardens in Soho, they will be able to keep costs down.
Each individual fountain costs between £1,000 and £2,000 before any engineering work even begins.
Cllr Glanz said: “We’ve already got a lot of support for the idea. It makes so much sense.
“Drinking bottled water is bad for the environment but in public it hasn’t always been that easy to go and get tap water. Now there can be no excuses. Kids will be able to drink straight out of the tap rather than going to the shop to get a can of fizzy drink.
“I don’t see their being too many objections to this. Obviously in squares that aren’t the council’s, like the Royal Parks and the diocese, we have to seek permission from them. But that shouldn’t be a problem.”
The proposals have the backing of the Drinking Fountain Association, which campaigns for public drinking fountains in this country and abroad.
A spokeswoman for Thames Water said: “Before the Second World War fountains were commonplace across London, initially for horses and cattle, before they were converted for the use of people. But maintenance, changes in local government and a fall in demand meant many were torn up or left redundant.
“Earlier this year the City of London gave the green light to a network of drinking fountains across the Square Mile.
“We support the introduction of drinking water fountains in the capital.
“To help local councils and organisations with their plans to install fountains we’ve produced a policy to guide them on securing the necessary approvals.
“We have given Westminster City Council a copy of this policy after they approached us to discuss their plans for drinking water fountains.We look forward to working with them.” |
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