Council slammed for not selling NH1 number plate worth "£400,000"

Bosses at another Council have been slammed for refusing to bolster the coffers by selling the mayors private registration plates, worth an estimated £400,000.

The number plate 'NH 1' has been on the Mayor of Northampton's ceremonial car for decades.

But Northampton Borough Council say it is not worth selling because it would only reduce the local individual’s council tax bill by £4.

But the TaxPayers’ Alliance yesterday urged the council to sell the reg plates and raise money for those struggling to make ends meet.

A spokeswoman said: "These number plates are a luxury that the council can ill afford at a time when it is facing spending cuts.

"It's a disgrace that they're trying to hang onto these at a time when some taxpayers in the area are struggling to make ends meet.

"The plates are an indulgence and they should sell them off as soon as possible."

Northampton Borough Council leader Brian Markham said the plate is part of the town's heritage.

He said: "If we got £400,000, that would be the equivalent to £4 off the average council tax bill for a whole year for the council taxpayers of Northampton. But that is only one year, next year you can't sell the number plate again.

"More importantly, that number plate is part of our heritage – not just for the council but for the town – we've owned that since the first number plates for cars."




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China bans unlucky number plates

China turned superstitious by barring the issuance of number plates bearing the "unlucky" number '4', causing a mixed reaction from the public.

Beijing's traffic management bureau has stopped issuing car registration plates bearing the number as many Chinese consider it to be unlucky because it sounds similar to the word for death.

From this week, drivers in the capital who bought new cars no longer need to make a special request to omit the number, as it has been removed from the registration plate choosing system by the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau.

The BTMB have stated that the decision was made because number plates bearing a '4' have always been unpopular.






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