Rotherham reportedly among top spenders for King Charles III coronation

According to openDemocracy, which is an independent media outlet, RMBC allocated £64,400 to the coronation.

Since the report has been published, many questioned the scale of the spending across the country as the cost of living crisis continues to bite and some were saying the money could have been spent to help struggling families instead.

Rotherham, for example, has its own issues.

A Public Health England report published in early 2020 put Rotherham among the top “20% most deprived districts/unitary authorities in England”.

In addition to this, Sarah Champion, the Rotherham MP, said last August that there are more than 7,800 children living in poverty in Rotherham.

When Cllr Simon Ball (Conservative), Rotherham Council’s leader of the opposition, was asked if spending this kind of money was justifiable, he had this to say to the Local Democracy Service: “The question should be ‘Do I think a lot of RMBC spending is good value?’

“Labour RMBC have increased council tax by four per cent and social rents by seven per cent, squeezing household incomes, while splashing tens of millions of pounds on city centre projects, tens of thousands on plans to illuminate a clock tower in Wickersley and wasted £5m each year on renting and maintaining their near empty Riverside House.

“On this scale of waste, £64,400 doesn’t compare.”

However, Rotherham’s spending (allocating) was not the highest in South Yorkshire.

Sheffield City Council is under scrutiny after it was revealed that they had allocated £101,000 to the events last weekend, making them among the top spenders in the country.

The Sheffield Star reported that the council organised a party on Saturday and Sunday (May 6 and 7) in the Peace Gardens and supported 100 community projects and 40 street parties.

Gary Clifton, major events manager, said the authority spent £56,500 of its own money and £28,500 from the government.

He added: “This was a moment in history, with Sheffield gaining global coverage and as the fourth largest city in England.

“We are playing our part, having worked hard with communities and groups from across the city to celebrate and enjoy this momentous occasion.”

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, on the other hand, allocated only £6,000 while Doncaster reportedly did not allocate any money to the coronation weekend, the report shows.

OpenDemocracy reported that they had sent out FOI requests to every local authority in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland asking how much they were planning to spend on the coronation.

Of the 317, 286 replied, they stated on their website.

Unofficial estimates put the cost of the coronation to taxpayers between £50m and £150m in total, before the event, the website said.

RMBC was approached for a comment but failed to come back with a statement by an extended deadline.