Taxpayers are left £31,000 out of pocket after council auctions off its Queen’s Jubilee wicker corgi statues for just £2,100
- Council in Norfolk spent £20,631.41 on seven wicker corgi statues for Jubilee
- They auctioned of four of the statues and recouped just over £2,000
A council has lost taxpayers more than £30,000 after selling their controversial corgi statues for a fraction of the price that it cost to have them made.
Broadland District Council initially splashed £21,000 on seven wicker statues last year to mark The Queen’s Jubilee.
The local authority also spent an additional £11,635.80 on a ‘prestigious party in the park’ held at Blickling Hall as part of the jubilee celebrations.
But this was only attended by 360 of the 125,000 residents in Broadland. Another £1,080 was spent repairing the statues – with £33,715.80 becoming the total bill.
After auctioning off four figures of the late monarch’s favourite dog this month, Broadland District Council, in Norfolk raised just £2,140.
The Jubilee was celebrated in style by one Norfolk council who spent £20,000 on seven wicker corgi statues (pictured at at Blickling Hall), but only managed to recoup £2,000 by auctioning off four of them
The local authority also spent an additional £11,635.80 on a ‘prestigious party in the park’ held at Blickling Hall – attended by fewer than 400 hundred people
Locals have slammed being £31,575.80 out of pocket – as they face a hike in their council tax bill next month.
Michael Moore said: ‘Talk about wasting money for the sake of it, that money could have been used so much more wisely.’
Jo Mills added: ‘Public money wasted.’
Alan Whittaker said: ‘What idiot approved the purchase of such a sculpture for £3,000, let alone seven of the b****y things.’
June Clarke said: ‘I am not surprised.’
Kirsti Withington added: ‘Wow that’s a shocker. Who would have thought?’
The council has decided to keep two with the remaining one gifted to King Charles III.
Broadland District Council has been contacted for comment.
The corgis were placed at Reedham, Thorpe St Andrew, Old Catton, Whitwell and Reepham Railway Station, Blickling Hall, Coltishall and at the Walled Garden in Little Plumstead
Residents have been frustrated by Broadland District Council’s ‘disgraceful’ and ‘overpriced’ use of ‘taxpayers money’ on figures of Her Majesty’s favourite pet for the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations
The Queen owned pet Corgis throughout her life, and the breed became heavily associated with her
Residents have accused the council of wasting taxpayer’s money with the seven wicker statues
The issue of the large amounts of money spent by the council on the coronation was first raised in July last year.
Deputy leader Trudy Mancini-Boyle, a Conservative, said: ‘We asked a local artist to design for us rather than go to China to supply some statues for us, which would have been cheaper to do.’
During the meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou asked about the ‘prestigious party in the park’ at stately home Blickling Hall for the Jubilee.
It cost £11,635.80 and was aimed at the 697 people who requested tickets but only 360 people attended due to bad weather.
The bulk of the money, 75 per cent, was spent on hiring the screen to broadcast Disney’s Encanto and also staffing costs.
Ms Karimi-Ghovanlou said: ‘Do you think that spending £32,000 [the total cost of the corgis and party] on 360 residents, when we have 125,000 residents in Broadland, is a good use of taxpayers’ money?’
She instead wanted it spent on giving £200 to each of the district’s parish councils for their own local jubilee events.
Ms Mancini-Boyle responded at the time: ‘As Broadland District Council, we wanted to recognise the Platinum Jubilee, the likes of which will probably never be seen again.
‘I am confident that we have done the right thing. You’re now assuming that the corgis won’t be sold, which would then take the cost down again anyway.’
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