A Black Country council plans to spend £1,500 for an hour’s worth of advertising on a plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square publicising its new campaign about art and culture.

We Are Walsall campaigners would get an hour on between 8am and 9am on July 18 shouting about cultural and community events.

Walsall Council leisure boss Councillor Barry Sanders said today the council was yet to decide on the idea but critics branded it a waste of money.

Costs would involve £300 worth of t-shirts, £300 for accommodation for a team of around three people, £500 for a minibus driver, £50 for a helium canister, £10 for balloons, £5 for ribbons and £30 for a metal ring to hold the balloons together.

We Are Walsall is a new campaign by the council to highlight projects which promote better understanding between cultures, sexes and age groups.

During the hour, Walsall representatives would assemble a virtual sculpture by filling helium balloons in We Are Walsall colours to form a bouquet of balloons rising from the centre of the plinth.

A pre-recorded soundtrack would be broadcast from a battery-powered speaker with a variety of people speaking about what art and culture means to them. The balloons will then be released with messages tied to them about Walsall.

Leader of the opposition Labour group Tim Oliver said: “We should not be participating in things like this at a time when the council needs to make savings and when we havecut out summer playschemes for children. Whilst the We are Walsall campaign is commendable, the money would be much better spent here on local projects.”

A mini bus full of supporters will also be driven down to London for the hour long event who will all be supplied with t-shirts. Mr Sanders said how the trip would be funded would be decided today.