Debate over cost of brown tourist sign for Stamford

What price would you pay to boost tourism in Stamford?

This was the question Stamford Town Councillors pondered at a meeting on Tuesday (January 28) as part of a debate on new brown tourism signs.

South Kesteven District Council has secured funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for brown tourist signs to be installed on the A1.

A single sign costs between £8,000 to £20,000 to design and install, which left Coun Max Sawyer, who sits on both the town and district council, ‘speechless’.

He said: “I can’t get my head around the cost - £40,000 for two brown signs.

“As much as Stamford deserves these, I would much rather the money be spent on something useful elsewhere, even if that’s in Grantham or Bourne.

“£40,000 is absolutely ridiculous.”

The Government website advises that people can apply for a brown sign to be located next to a national highway such as the A1, but they have to foot the bill.

Once installed, a process that can take up to nine months from application to finish, they become the property of the highway authority to maintain.

Mayor of Stamford Kelham Cooke explained that the idea for brown signs had been mooted several years ago when he was leader of South Kesteven District Council, and that costs may include shutting the A1 while it’s installed.

He added: “In the grand scheme of things £40,000 to potentially benefit the town over a number of years and bring people in to use local businesses and shops should hopefully be a good investment.

“But I totally agree in terms of what they are charging - I don’t know how they magic that figure up.”

An attraction or a facility can be the subject of a brown sign, such as a historic building or centre, and words or one of nearly 100 symbols can be used.