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More than £40,000 worth of public artwork has never been checked by Caerphilly County Borough Council, Caerphilly Observer can reveal. 

Five pieces of art, including four murals and one engraving – which cost a total of £41,959 – have never been inspected – despite the council having a borough-wide inspection regime.

These figures, obtained from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Caerphilly County Borough Council, relate to public art installed in the borough between 2008 and 2023.

The same FOI revealed that Rhymney’s Twisted Chimney was the most expensive artwork installed in the borough since 2008 – at a cost of £180,000.

Public artwork checked an average of seven times

Thirty-two pieces of art were installed in Caerphilly County Borough between 2008 and 2023.

Twenty-seven pieces of public art were checked an average of 7.3 times.

Of the five pieces of art that have never been checked, the most expensive is a £20,000 mural in Newbridge, which was installed in 2015.

The artwork which has been checked the most is the leaf sculpture outside Rhymney Library – which cost £36,000 and has been checked 14 times since it was installed in 2008.

Below is a picture showing the difference in quality in one of the unchecked murals in Tredegar Park, Risca between 2015 and May 2023.

This mural was completed in 2014 for £2,000.

“A poor reflection”

Four of the five pieces of art which have not been inspected are murals. 

According to a report on the American Institute for Conservation website, the condition of a mural can impact the image of a neighbourhood. 

In the report, it states that a faded, flaking or vandalised mural can be a “poor reflection” of an area.

As such, choosing the right materials at the start of a project and implementing a regular inspection is “cost-effective”. 

Checkups also help deter vandalism and ensure upkeep when there has been bad weather. 

A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “CCBC has an inspection regime in place to ensure the structural integrity and safety of physical artwork structures across the county borough.

“This regime is not applied in the same way to artwork on walls or flooring, but these are still regularly checked by council staff and any repairs or defects are addressed as appropriate.”