£140,000 for studying pockets

By TONY BONNICI
The Sun
Oct. 07, 2006

The Government is spending £140,000 of taxpayers’ cash — to study POCKETS.

The cash to fund research, two staff, a website and exhibition was slammed last night as a “frivolous waste”.

Students at Southampton University will spend three years studying tie-on pockets, worn by women under petticoats or aprons from the late 17th century.

There will also be a nationwide touring exhibition.

Tory MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: “When you have cash-strapped hospitals, service cuts and bed shortages, this is unbelievable. Our priorities are all wrong. This won’t help anyone. It should be done privately.”

The Patients Association added: “Who makes these decisions? The money could pay for three nurses for a year.”

The Arts and Humanities Research Council, which spends £90million of state cash a year on research, made the ‘pockets’ award.

Director Professor Tony McEnery insisted: “On one level this may seem trivial, but investment in fashion helps underpin a key part of the economy, which generates money to support the NHS.”












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