Council agrees to sell £7000 private number plate

WEST Lothian Council has agreed to sell off its private registration plate worth an estimated £7000.

After numerous calls from taxpayers, officials at the council believe the sale will send out the right message to staff and the community, as Scotland’s local authorities struggle with a debt in excess £9 billion.

Retaining the ASX 1 number plate is no longer a priority, said Council leader Peter Johnston as he also announced plans to get rid of the chauffeur driven Volvo S80.

He said: "We've said from the beginning that no stone can be left unturned in our quest to find vital savings in the face of a £60 million budget shortfall.

"Councillors must lead by example and we will be moving to approve these changes at the council executive in early November."

But other cash strapped councils are still refusing to follow this example, even though half of the Scottish local authorities own prestige number plates, a few of which are believed to be amongst the most valuable in the UK.

Glasgow City Council owns two registrations which are each said to be worth up to £500,000, and the City of Edinburgh Council owns the S0 plate, valued somewhere in the region of £100,000 and £500,000.

'G0' is one of the official registrations owned by Glasgow City Council




Edinburgh Council's 'S0' plate





ES 1, the plate that currently graces the provost of Perth and Kinross's car, is thought to be worth around £150,000.

West Lothian Council's move to sell unnecessary assets has been welcomed by groups campaigning for less waste in the public sector and Emma Boon, from Taxpayer's Alliance, said it was time the other authorities did the same.

"While it's great that West Lothian are selling their number plate and getting rid of their civic car, it's disappointing that other Scottish councils are yet to follow suit. Said Emma.

"In these tough financial conditions councils must find significant savings.

"It would be unfair to expect taxpayers to continue to fund a civic car and it's disgraceful for councils to cling on to these luxuries at a time when taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet."

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "Services have yet to finalise their proposed savings for the coming year."

And officials at the City of Edinburgh Council said the local authority would not be putting its personalised number plates up for sale as they were of "historical value to the city".

A Rover 75 used by Midlothian's Council has the registration plate SY 0, with an estimated value of £50,000.




A spokesperson said: "There are no plans to change the civic car provision in the near future and consideration has not been given to changing its number plate.
The SY 0 plate is part of Midlothian’s heritage and an asset which grows in value every year."

"The vehicles are not just used by council dignitaries but are also essential for guests including visiting royalty and important businesses."






Reg