The Bank of England has opened a public vote on 18 British animals, birds and insects for the next series of banknotes, putting six creatures in each of three categories before the public until the end of 3 July. Victoria Cleland, whose signature appears on banknotes, said she hoped people would enjoy the consultation as the central bank looks for one creature to appear on each note.
The vote is live now because the Bank wants public views before Andrew Bailey makes the final call on the new designs. People can choose up to six favourites overall, with up to two selections from each of the three groups. The shortlist was chosen by a panel of wildlife experts, and the options range from the bottlenose dolphin, brown hare and European hedgehog to the Atlantic puffin, barn owl and white-tailed eagle, alongside the Atlantic salmon, basking shark and buff-tailed bumblebee.
Cleland said the shortlisted animals show the richness of wildlife in the UK, and the public consultation is meant to shape what appears on the next generation of notes. The mammals on the list are the bottlenose dolphin, brown hare, European hedgehog, grey seal, pine marten and red fox. The birds are the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, common kingfisher, Eurasian curlew, great spotted woodpecker and white-tailed eagle. The amphibians, insects and fish are the Atlantic salmon, basking shark, buff-tailed bumblebee, common frog, Emperor dragonfly and marsh fritillary butterfly.
That public input does not amount to a final verdict. Bailey will decide which creatures make the cut, and he is not bound to follow the animals that attract the most responses. The Bank has not said which four will be chosen, leaving the most important part of the process unresolved even as the vote is already under way.
If the plan goes ahead, each note in the next series will carry one creature on the reverse side, while the portrait of the monarch and images representing the home nations remain. That would end the use of historical figures on the back of Bank of England notes for the first time since 1970, replacing the current line-up of Sir Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner and Alan Turing on the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes.
People have until the end of 3 July to take part. After that, the Bank moves into the longer process of deciding, testing and printing the redesigned notes before they can enter circulation, and Bailey’s choice will determine whether the public’s favourites are the ones that actually appear in wallets.
