Rare TS1 plate 'part of city history' — and not for sale
Dundee Lord Provost John Letford has said he would be against selling the city council's TS1 car registration plate, which could fetch £150,000 at auction.
- By Bruce Robbins
- Published in the Courier : 11.05.10
- Published online : 11.05.10 @ 03.11pm
The Taxpayers' Alliance has called on councils to sell off the rare number plates, claiming they are worth more than £1 million. They are a legacy from the time when local authorities controlled the issuing of car registrations almost 100 years ago.
Mr Letford is ferried around in a luxury car bearing the TS1 plate, which is likely to be the most valuable of them all, according to the alliance.
Its campaigns manager Mark Wallace said cash raised by selling the plates could be used to protect threatened council services.
He said such "indulgences" reflected the attitude of politicians towards taxpayers. Other potentially valuable registrations include the ES1 plate used by Perth and Kinross Provost John Hulbert, Glasgow's G0 and V0 and the S0 of Edinburgh.
However, Mr Letford said he was aware of the history of the Dundee plate and doubted there would be any support for its sale. While it would be a matter for the city council to decide, he said he would be personally against the sale.
He said, "I understand we have to save money in a recession but I wouldn't have thought the sale of TS1 would be considered.
"A figure of £150,000 is quite a minimal sum when set against the council budget and against the history of TS1 to the city. Selling it off would be like selling off the city's history."
He added, "I doubt very much that anybody would want to say 'let's sell this' as it's such a strong part of our history.
"If you consider other valuable things the city has, such as the lord provost's chain of office, you would have to ask where selling off the family silver would stop.
"I think we should retain things of historical value to Dundee."
Glasgow and Edinburgh council officials have said they have no plans to sell off their registration plates.
The car registration record-holder is F1, which was formerly owned by Essex Council and fetched £440,625.
08.43pm - 20.05.2010 Edmund Raphael - Minehead, England Report This
I rather doubt the advantageous impact of £150,000 upon any council's menu of indebtedness. Perhaps the future purchase of a less expensive model of official car ought to be a more prudent consideration, as the number plate appears to be in improving asset, whilst the vehicle represents depreciation
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