High Wycombe’s historic Red Lion Statue still remains without a tail.
The tail of the iconic red statue, which has been a feature of the town centre for over 200 years, was damaged last year and was seen detached from the rest of the lion.
Now, Steven Broadbent the leader of the authority has said the statue should be fixed.
He said: “I talked a minute ago about civic pride. Frankly, if you are the guardian of a piece of civic infrastructure, you should do everything you can to preserve it and look after it. It should be fixed.”
The statue is not owned by the council and, as such, the authority is not responsible for repairing any damage or maintaining it.
It previously said it appreciated that the statue was a “much-loved icon” in the town centre and fully supported efforts to restore the monument to its former glory.
The Bucks Free Press previously led a fundraising campaign in 2016 to enable the restoration of the crumbling structure.
The Free Press was joined in the campaign by the High Wycombe Society, Nostalgia expert Mike Dewey and the Hudson family, including master carver Colin Mantripp, who previously repaired the lion.
Almost £7,500 was raised over a month, with expert woodcarvers working on the restoration.
The fundraising started after fears grew that the Red Lion could be lost if nothing was done.
The Red Lion has watched over the town from the High Street portico for centuries and is known as being the backdrop of Winston Churchill’s post-war speech.
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