IAN HART: To paint or not to paint?

The Grafton car park – to be fair, not Worthing’s most attractive construction – has had a £14,000 makeover, with the help of 600 cans of spray paint.

With the words ‘right now’, an anagram of the town’s name, emblazoned on the seafront structure, it’s certainly polarised local opinion.

In the week where the plight of little Charlie Gard has received national coverage – and on that subject can any of us deny his parents exploring every option in the care and ongoing treatment of their little boy? – it seems totally irrelevant, but almost predictable that some of the local burghers are getting hot under the collar over a bit of paint on one of the borough’s larger buildings.

The cost, one of the ‘anti’ lobby’s primary arguments, while clearly a significant sum of money to a lot of people, in this kind of project is negligible.

A cursory look over the council balance sheet would show that far more money is spent on both individual and collective projects elsewhere in the town in the course of 12 months, transactions that would have the aforementioned critics jumping up and down if they knew the extent of the expenditure?

Has the painting attracted publicity for Worthing? Yes, and given the old adage about there being no such thing as bad publicity, clearly a positive.

Does a 21st century slant on things show a more modern outlook from the council? Again, yes, although listening to some of the criticism I do wonder what would actually make some individuals take a positive stance over anything.

Then again, there’s that saying about some people never being happy unless their moaning.

Ultimately, it’s not harming or hurting anyone, so in the grand scheme of things, and given other more important issues nationally, why do people see fit to be so negative?

---

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.worthingherald.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Worthing.news

3) Follow us on Twitter @Worthing_Herald

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Worthing Herald - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.