Why is Lottery Money paying for the mistake that burned the Cutty Sark to the ground ?

Question

We read that the Cutty Sark fire was caused by a restorers vacuum cleaner, according to an investigation conducted by Metropolitan police detectives. One recalls Sir Bufton 'Heritage' Tuffton on TV immediately after the fire blaming 'arsonists' and crying for public moneys to restore the fire damaged vessal. The Lottery duely oblidged with a £10,000,000 payout bringing the total restoration amount to £35,000,000.

But if a restorers vacuum cleaner is to blame for the fire, why arnt the restorers, or their insurance company footing this huge bill at a time when Lottery funding to worthwile small projects is being cut ? Indeed at a time of National economic crisis, why are we spending £35,000,000 'restoring' a 138 year old boat ?

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2…

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

because the poor (who buy 90% of lottery tickets ) are always being used to fund the middle and upper classes projects...opera houses is another example

Answer 2

Very good question and it raises issues of possible fire-raising yet again. Why did no-one find it strange that somewhere in the region of 90% of the real thing had been removed for safe keeping before the fire?
What was consumed by the flames was mostly junk that would have ended up in the skip in any case.
I agree too that it would have made much more sense to build a new sea-going replacement rather than a sanitised museum piece.

Source(s):

Suspicious mind.

Answer 3

the question i want to ask is why is the cutty sark being renovated at all as a child i went on a school trip to see it but dint you think it is the act of god that it burnt down while it is being renovated £35 000,000being spent on a tea cutter on the same day we heard on the news that children(all out tomorrows) are living in poverty and some actually fell hunger pangs in modern britain i say use the cutty sark for fire wood to keep the children warm this winter and spend the money on human beings

Answer 4

have you ever read an insurance company's t's and c's? they practically say that they can do whatever they want to, but it's on page 51221 whever no one ever reads.

Answer 5

Hi,your right the insurance company should pay out & the money given back to the Lotto.
ps/ maybe they will not pay has the machine had been altered
& left on.

Answer 6

It's better the lottery money being used for this rather than some of the crazy things and groups that it has been given to

Answer 7

The entire cost of the damage to the Cutty Sark should be met by the contractors insurance company

Answer 8

Good question, interested to see if anyone knows why insurance companies not paying out.

Answer 9

Heritage young man.by the way it not burned down to the ground.

Answer 10

dunno. should give me some money though

Answer 11

Yes I do see your point. What an absolute waste of money

Answer 12

I suspect that the full enquiry contains details that make a compensation payment unlikely. The police have pointed out failings other than the faulty vacuum cleaner:

Two security guards had made up their log book in advance, and probably been asleep. They may not have been able to put out the fire but could have reported it more quickly.

Guards had been found asleep, or absent from the site, on previous occasions.

Renovation workmen were responsible for dangerous practices on board the ship; electrical equipment was often left plugged in, debris was not removed immediately and there were loose electrical connections.

It was unclear whether fire alarm tests had been completed properly in the weeks before the blaze and a fire marshal had not checked the ship before it was left for the weekend.

The whole project was a catalogue of incompetence. It would have been difficult to blame the workmen, who may have been unaware of the missing safety device. Similarly the renovation contractors could have pointed to the general sloppiness of the management. The security personnel may not have been insured and this possibility extends to the contractors.

It could have been one of those cases that takes ages in the courts and costs much of the renovation money.

In answer to your final sentence, the ship (not boat) is a very important part of our history and many of us think it should be preserved. The lottery fund was set up principally to support the arts and other projects where it is difficult to rely on the taxpayer. Contributions to the fund are of course voluntary.