Auctioning the mayoral car’s number plate is like “selling off the family silver”, according to critics.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s minority Green administration hopes to raise £150,000 by auctioning off the number plate of the Brighton and Hove mayor’s official car.
The money would be used to fund community and voluntary groups across the city.
But one former mayor said the CD1 number plate is a part of the city’s heritage and losing it would be a tragedy.
Civic pride
CD1 was donated to the city more than 30 years ago and refers to the local registration letters for the Brighton area.
Cabinet member for finance, Jason Kitcat, said: “Through auctioning the mayoral number plates we will be creating significant new funding sources for the third sector in this city.”
But Labour councillor Brian Fitch, who was mayor in 1989, said the decision was a step too far.
He said: “The CD1 plate is part of our history. It’s like selling off the family silver.
“It is only a one-off saving so wouldn’t be producing £150,000 of savings every year. With that in mind I don’t think the potential damage to our civic pride is worthwhile.
“This was a gift to our city and my fear is it will put people off ever donating anything to us again.
“What’s next? Selling off parts of the Royal Pavilion?”
The move has also been criticised by local historian David Rowland, who said: “It’s the city’s heritage. Where will they draw the line?”
Long debate
The debate over CD1 stretches back more than ten years. In 2001 Green MEP, then a councillor, Keith Taylor suggested getting rid of the plate to raise extra revenue. At that point it was thought to be worth £50,000.
In 2005 an Argus poll on the proposal found the majority of readers were against the sale, saying prestige was more important than a short-term windfall.
However, preliminary results of The Argus’ Balancing the Books poll, in which we are asking readers to rate their budget priorities, shows the mayor’s number plate as the least important of the ten areas mentioned.
Balance the Books
Which areas of Brighton and Hove City Council's budget mean the most to you?
The Argus has chosen ten key areas of the budget proposals to find out which ones out readers think should be treated as a priority in the budget.
Make your choice by filling in our online form at www.theargus.co.uk/news/balancebudget
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