Councillor's concern over 'lack of ambition' over City Square fountains

A Dundee councillor has highlighted concerns that, after a year of being switched off, Dundee City Council is no further forward to getting the City Square fountains switched back on.  There is lack of ambition on the part of the SNP-controlled council to get the fountains back on or at least have a positive alternative use.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Craig Duncan said:
“The fountains have been off for the best part of a year and although I fully appreciate the problem which led to them being decommissioned, the council appears many months later, to have done precisely nothing to look at solutions.”

The council’s Head Of Design & Property Services advised Councillor Duncan :

"I write to advise that the fountains were switched off in August 2024.”
“This followed a prolonged period of frequent incidents of vandalism with foaming agents being maliciously put into the fountains. Each time 'foaming' occurs the fountains require to be shut down and re-commissioned due to the chemicals which control legionella being rendered ineffective by the foaming agents. This requires a contractor to undertake the recommissioning process at significant cost on every occasion this occurs.”

“Additional CCTV cameras were put in place to monitor the City Square and fountains and foaming incidents caught on CCTV were reported to Police Scotland when they occurred. However, incidents have continued without the Police being able to take action reducing the frequency of incidents. Accordingly, in August 2024 the fountains were switched off until further notice. A review of the future of the fountains or alternatives which may be put in place is to be undertaken in due course, therefore at this stage there is no date planned for the fountains being switched back on."

Councillor Duncan added:
“It is clear that the council is taking a long time to do anything about the fountains.    They have been enjoyed by many Dundonians and visitors over the years and although the vandalism has been a problem, these problems are not insurmountable.”   
“Many other fountains across the UK operate well – if Trafalgar Square’s fountains can operate for years and still do to this day, why cannot Dundee’s?    There is bound to expertise on this across the country given that so many other cities and towns have functioning fountains.” 
“And even if there is some over-riding reason that makes the City Square fountains so much different than every other civic fountains across the country that still operate – which I doubt is the case  - what about alternatives like a nice floral display rather than leaving the fountains in their current sorry state?” 
“The Liberal Democrat Group will be pursuing this further as the current lack of action to resolve this matter does not reflect well on Dundee City Council.”