Dundee City Council spent close to £30,000 on a widely-mocked initiative where they encouraged people to talk to lamp posts and bus shelters about climate change.
The local authority spent £27,380 on setting up the Hello Lamp Post project, a platform which shares information with the public about climate change.
Interactive signs with QR codes were installed around the city which, the council said, gave the opportunity for a two-way conversation take place.
But the scheme went viral after a post uploaded on their official social media pages promoting it asked members of the public to speak to inanimate objects.
The post on X, formerly known as Twitter, has since attracted over 900 comments – mostly mocking the idea.
Hello Lamp Post in Dundee
Dundee City Council said funding for the project was obtained through the UK Government.
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “The Council’s involvement with the Hello Lamp Post scheme was financed through external funding obtained from BEIS/Department for Business Environment and Industry Standard, now Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, for public engagement in Dundee during COP26.
“Hello Lamp Post has been introduced by many local authorities around the UK and is used in Dundee to make people aware of support services helping with the cost-of-living crisis, climate literacy, a just transition, as well as other topics.”
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