Queen Elizabeth’s Death Events Cost Edinburgh Council Rs 5 Crore: Report

The City of Edinburgh Council has requested the payment of more than 5,00,000 pounds (Rs 5 crore) from the UK Treasury to cover the costs of events commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s death, as per a report in the BBC. 

The Queen was laid to rest for a whole day in St. Giles’ Cathedral on September 12 after her coffin was brought there from Balmoral. As thousands of people went to pay their last respects to the monarch, the city was forced to pay more for stewarding, traffic control and street cleaning for the implementation of Operation Unicorn.

The outlet further mentions that the Scottish government paid for the majority of the expenses. However, council money was also used to organise for the proclamation of King Charles III and to show the Queen’s funeral on a big screen in Holyrood Park.

Prior to the late monarch’s coffin being transported by plane to RAF Northolt for the funeral, near London, more than 33,000 people lined up to pay their respects.

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The BBC states that according to officials, Operation Unicorn cost the council 608,998 pounds (about Rs 6 crore) in total. This includes a projected loss of parking revenue of 42,000 (Rs 42 lakh)  from September 8 to 15. According to a report, it would not be able to recover this money from the UK government, however, the Treasury has been asked for the remaining 566,998 pounds (Rs 5.6 crore)

Councillor Alys Mumford, co-convenor of Edinburgh Greens spoke to the BBC about the same and said, “It’s good to finally get some information on the cost of Operation Unicorn to our city, and on how much of this burden must be borne by the council.”

“We look forward to further detail about how much the council will be expected to pay towards future royal events, so we can have an open and informed discussion about whether this is a spending priority while the majority of our citizens experience a cost of living crisis,” she told the news outlet.