While Banksy is a famed and world-renowned artist, he is known for essentially graffitiing public buildings with scenes and artwork that push a political agenda. Banksy's talent and his anonymity has led him to become a hugely popular figure, but his work and the way he goes about his business does come at a pricey cost, according to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
As per BBC News, a new report has claimed the removal of Banksy's murals has so far cost UK taxpayers £150,000 in cleaning and security fees. The costliest artwork of the bunch was the artwork stencilled onto the Royal Courts of Justice in September 2025, with this supposedly costing £85,000 to remove.
According to the report, speaking about the latter work, £50,000 was spent on removing the paint from the Grade II-listed building while a further £35,300 was spent on overtime and security fees.
As for how such a fee was totalled in effectively removing a piece of graffiti is unclear, but the situation and these reported figures do beg the question about whether Banksy's projects are art or vandalism, especially so when painted on the side of historical and listed buildings.
