Controversy as more changes made to County Hall

A NEW memorial dedicated to Notts' war dead is to be put in place at County Hall.

But the move has proved controversial after the council said it would replace an information board dedicated to those who died in the Spanish Civil War.

The £1,600 move came after county council leader Kay Cutts said she wanted a general memorial plaque "to mark Notts residents who lost their lives during all wars", said a spokesman.

But Labour leader Alan Rhodes claims the ruling Conservative group has a "hit list" of items they want removed from public view - "simply because of the associations with the previous Labour administration", he claimed.

The Tories have dismissed Labour's claims as "nonsense" and refused to comment further.

The council previously removed a memorial board dedicated to the Child Migrants Trust - a worldwide charity founded by a former Notts social worker which helps reunite families whose children were forcibly sent overseas.

The Tories said they wanted it removed to give visitors more "positive" information to reflect on.

The Tories also had four stained-glass windows which illustrated Notts' heritage removed from County Hall shortly after coming to power.

And the council logo has been changed to include seven acorns instead of eight.

The Spanish civil war memorial plaque was unveiled in 1993 by the then Spanish ambassador to commemorate people from the region who fought in Spain between 1936 and 1939.

Coun Rhodes said a preferable option would have been to keep the info board and erect the new plaque next to it.

"This would have been a perfectly feasible option, given the amount of space available in the display area," he said.

"However, as we understand it, the new Tory administration does have a hit list of things that they want removed from public view, simply because of the associations with the previous Labour administration."

A spokesman for Notts County Council said: "We're not removing the Spanish Civil War Memorial. It's a beautiful piece of artwork at the front of County Hall.

"We are replacing the information board, which replicates the text on one of the plaques, with a brass memorial plaque which will remember all of the people from Notts who lost their lives in service of their country.