By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 03:37 EST, 12 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:57 EST, 12 August 2013 . A cost-cutting local council has sparked anger after spending £76,000 on a bespoke 3D sign welcoming visitors to the town. Bournemouth Borough Council, which has cut millions from its budget and shed scores of staff, believes the new signage will 'promote a sense of arrival for visitors'. The 'Welcome to Bournemouth' sign, which sits above the A338 road, has been criticised by councillors as a waste of taxpayers' money. Costly: The £76,000 'Welcome to Bournemouth' sign which has been erected on the A338 . Controversial: The council said the new sign will make visitors feel more welcome and more likely to return to Bournemouth . Labour councillor Ben Grower described it as a 'flight of fancy'. He told The Sun newspaper: 'Jobs are being cut and services not expanded. This is the biggest two fingers to the people I have seen in many years.' Tourism bosses at the Conservative-led authority, which has plans to save £76million over five years, believe it will make visitors feel more welcome and more likely to return to the coastal town. Councillor Lawrence Williams said: . 'First impressions are everything and this is why it's important to make . the gateway into our town as welcoming as possible. This type of . signage makes a statement about our town and the community it represents . as well as a significant contribution to the way an area is perceived. 'Tourism is worth over £600m to the . local economy, so the more welcoming our town is, the more the . likelihood is that visitors will make return trips in the future, . hopefully staying for longer and spending more time and money in the . Borough. Hot spot: Tourists enjoy warm weather on Bournemouth beach over the weekend . 'This in turn continues to boost the local economy. We are proud of our town and the new signage is a great way to greet people coming to spend time here.' Mike Francis, president of the Bournemouth Tourism Management Board, also backed the project. 'It demonstrates that we value the immeasurable contribution tourism makes to the local economy, and the signage is something the industry has been working with the Council to provide for a long time, to further reflect the significance of Bournemouth as one of the UK’s premier resorts,' he said. A spokesman for the council added that . the £76,000 accounts for the design, installation, traffic management . and power supply for the sign.
Bournemouth Borough Council erects costly sign above A338 road .
Critics brand it a 'flight of fancy' and a waste of taxpayers' money .
Authority says it will make visitors feel more welcome .
By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 03:37 EST, 12 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:57 EST, 12 August 2013 . A cost-cutting local council has sparked anger after spending £76,000 on a bespoke 3D sign welcoming visitors to the town. Bournemouth Borough Council, which has cut millions from its budget and shed scores of staff, believes the new signage will 'promote a sense of arrival for visitors'. The 'Welcome to Bournemouth' sign, which sits above the A338 road, has been criticised by councillors as a waste of taxpayers' money. Costly: The £76,000 'Welcome to Bournemouth' sign which has been erected on the A338 . Controversial: The council said the new sign will make visitors feel more welcome and more likely to return to Bournemouth . Labour councillor Ben Grower described it as a 'flight of fancy'. He told The Sun newspaper: 'Jobs are being cut and services not expanded. This is the biggest two fingers to the people I have seen in many years.' Tourism bosses at the Conservative-led authority, which has plans to save £76million over five years, believe it will make visitors feel more welcome and more likely to return to the coastal town. Councillor Lawrence Williams said: . 'First impressions are everything and this is why it's important to make . the gateway into our town as welcoming as possible. This type of . signage makes a statement about our town and the community it represents . as well as a significant contribution to the way an area is perceived. 'Tourism is worth over £600m to the . local economy, so the more welcoming our town is, the more the . likelihood is that visitors will make return trips in the future, . hopefully staying for longer and spending more time and money in the . Borough. Hot spot: Tourists enjoy warm weather on Bournemouth beach over the weekend . 'This in turn continues to boost the local economy. We are proud of our town and the new signage is a great way to greet people coming to spend time here.' Mike Francis, president of the Bournemouth Tourism Management Board, also backed the project. 'It demonstrates that we value the immeasurable contribution tourism makes to the local economy, and the signage is something the industry has been working with the Council to provide for a long time, to further reflect the significance of Bournemouth as one of the UK’s premier resorts,' he said. A spokesman for the council added that . the £76,000 accounts for the design, installation, traffic management . and power supply for the sign.
Borough Council, which has cut millions from its which sits above the A338 road, has been criticised by councillors as a waste of taxpayers' money. Costly: The £76,000 'Welcome to sign will make visitors feel more welcome and councillor Ben Grower described it as a 'flight