Uncertainty over date for switching on fountains in Peterborough city centre

Uncertainty still surrounds exactly when Peterborough’s city centre fountains will be switched on this summer.

Despite forecasts of dry, sunny weather with temperatures above average for the next couple of weeks, a date for turning on the Cathedral Square water feature has not been released.

Peterborough City Council officers are still checking the condition of the fountains to assess if further maintenance or repairs are needed.

Conservative group deputy leader Councillor Steve Allen said: “The fountains are being evaluated for their functionality and to assess any costs that might be incurred to get them up and running.

"We hope to get them up and running as soon as possible. When that may be will depend on how much needs to be spent.”

The council spent £22,000 on the fountains last year in what council officers have described as a ‘particularly difficult time’ as they struggled to keep the water feature working.

Details released by the council show that £21,934 out of £27,047 spent by the local authority on the Cathedral Square fountains last year was for repairs during a summer in which it seemed the water would not stay on for any meaningful length of time.

The council allows for £18,000 a year on maintenance of the fountains that were installed as part of a revamp of the city centre in 2010 and running the water feature has cost the local authority £280,860 since the financial year 2010/11 to May 20, 2021.