THERE is an old saying: You can't please all of the people all of the time.

That must be ringing especially true in the ears of people in Saltburn, where the issue of two sculptures appears to have split the community in half.

Art never appeals to everyone because, by its very nature, it relies on a subjective interpretation on which everyone has an opinion.

But this saying doesn't just apply to sculptures in Saltburn. Just about anything which is going to affect a community is bound to create some reaction - both positive and negative - from the people who will have to live with it.

Recent examples include the building of a drive-through McDonald's opposite Hanson Street in Redcar, the building of a new fence at a Redcar primary school and the development of a housing estate in Guisborough.

Perhaps the councillors who have to decide on all these planning and development issues deserve some sympathy.

They cannot use their subjective feelings on any issue and must remain cold-hearted and objective, knowing that the future fate of communities lies in their hands and in the decisions they make.

At the end of March they will be hated by half of the community in Saltburn and thanked and appreciated by the other half.

But it is the people of Saltburn who will have to live with the decision - and unfortunately there can be no compromise on this.