15/5/2023

Cllr David MacDonald post on facebook page

www.facebook.com/MacdonaldTheIndependent

Cllr David Macdonald - An Independent voice for people.
14 h ·
Your council elected leadership in East Renfrewshire is, unfortunately, completely rudderless.


Published Daily record

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/

Cash-strapped council has failed to sell lucrative 'Harry Styles' private registration plate

East Renfrewshire Council said it would make £150,000 by selling off the HS 0 numberplate which they claimed singer Harry Styles could want.

News
ByPaul Drury

04:30, 14 MAY 2023

A cash-strapped local authority has failed to sell its flashy private registration plate – despite promising to make money off it.

East Renfrewshire Council claimed in January that showbiz stars such as Harry Styles may be prepared to pay £150,000 for their redundant civic plate, HS 0.

The local authority said the money would be used to help plug a £30million budget gap facing the council’s finances.

But a Freedom of Information request found the council has not even put the prized plate up for sale.

The response also shows the plan has cost public money – because officials hired a ­photographer to carry out publicity pictures. The ­council even failed to choose an auction house, where a sale would allow prospective buyers to bid for it.

The council said at the time: “The sale of the registration HS 0 presents the opportunity to generate a sizeable sum.

“It would be imprudent not to consider the sale of s­omething which serves no real purpose.”

East Renfrewshire Independent councillor David Macdonald said: “I cannot help but feel this was, perhaps, ­motivated not by raising ­additional funds for the council but more for the ­widespread publicity.

“This doesn’t really surprise me with the current leadership at the helm of East R­enfrewshire.

“It’s a leadership style entirely obsessed with PR and optics over substantive delivery on anything meaningful.”

Many local authorities own private registration plates.

Edinburgh’s S0, S10 and SS10 and Glasgow’s G0 and V0 have been said to be worth £500,000 each.

Residents in East Renfrewshire were hit by a six per cent council tax rise last month.

East Renfrewshire Council was approached for comment.

Yes, a bit of spin from the ERC PR Department gone wrong.

However imagine Huffy McGuffy Macdonald having a go at the leadership all because he did not get a stupid motion passed.

Childish or what.