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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Branwen Jones

How much every council in Wales spent on the coronation

The weekend's coronation saw a plethora of activities going on around the country. From street parties to celebratory concerts, there was something for everyone to mark the beginning of the new monarch, King Charles III.

However over recent weeks, discussion has taken place on whether public funding should have gone to the royal event, especially amid a cost of living crisis. On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered at a Not My King protest organised by Republic Cymru at Cardiff city centre to coincide with the coronation.

The group met at the Aneurin Bevan statue on Queen Street with at least 300 people there to protest the coronation. Many held placards and signs calling for an end to the monarchy, with one sign reading: "Thousands go hungry and we have to pay for a rich man in another country to put a crown of jewels on his head. Nid Ein Brenin Ni [not our King]". You can read more about the protest here.

Read more: Bryn Terfel almost didn't make it to the coronation because he was stopped by police

The Times has reported that a member of Operation Golden Orb organising committee told The Sun that the ceremony may have cost £100 million. However, separate unverified sources have suggested it may have been a lot higher, with up to £250 million spent on the ceremony partly due to the vast security costs.

Independent news website, openDemocracy, has asked each county council across the UK how much money they have allocated to the coronation, including the 22 county councils here in Wales. Most of the Welsh councils confirmed to openDemocracy that no money was budgeted for coronation celebrations, while one council had allocated thousands of pounds.

In north Wales, Conwy County Borough Council, Flintshire County Council, Gwynedd County Council and Isle of Anglesey County Council confirmed to openDemocracy that no money had been allocated for the event. Wrexham County Borough Council did not reply to the news website's inquiry, while Denbighshire County Council confirmed that £70 had been allocated to the royal event.

In west Wales, both Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion counties confirmed that there were no allocated budgets for the celebrations. A spokesperson for Pembrokeshire County Council also confirmed there was no budget for the event.

City and County of Swansea did not reply to openDemocracy's inquiry, while a spokesperson for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council confirmed that no money was budgeted for the event. In Powys, their county council also confirmed that they hadn't allocated any money for the coronation.

In south Wales, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and Bridgend County Borough Council confirmed that they also did not allocate money for the royal event, while Caerphilly County Borough Council, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and Rhondda Cynon Taf did not reply to the news website's inquiry respectively.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council did not allocate money for the coronation. In May of last year, a spokesperson for the council confirmed to WalesOnline that they had allocated £10,000 for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. This money was used to cover infrastructure for street party road closures that took place across the Vale.

Both Torfaen County Borough Council and Monmouthshire County Council confirmed that they hadn't budgeted any money to the coronation. While Newport City Council confirmed to openDemocracy that £645.61 had been allocated to the event.

Cardiff Council confirmed to the news website that £45,000 had been allocated to the celebrations. In Cardiff, King Charles III's coronation was live streamed at Cardiff Castle on Saturday, with live streaming of the concert celebrations taking place in Cardiff Bay on Sunday. On top of the live screenings, a picnic for families was also held at the castle with activities and themed entertainment.

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