Coronation Events Opposed: Brighton & Hove "Not Overstuffed With Royalists"

Conservatives called on the council to celebrate the coronation of King Charles with a programme of inclusive events “to mark this historic occasion and to foster civic pride”.

But Labour said that Brighton and Hove was not “particularly over-stuffed with royalists” and the council should not be paying for something like this during the “cost of living crisis”.

One Tory councillor said that the Queen’s funeral gave the economy a boost – notably the retail sector – and that the council should consider the potential benefits of the coronation of Charles III.

A senior Green said that Brighton and Hove City Council planned to waive fees for road closures if people wanted to hold street parties as they did for Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee.

The call for the council to give civic leadership came in a motion proposed by a former mayor of Brighton and Hove, Conservative councillor Dee Simson.

She asked for backing at a meeting of the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Thursday 12 January).

Councillor Simson said that she remembered the coronation of Elizabeth II, in June 1953, and said that residents and community groups would be starting to organise events.

She said: “There are going to be thousands of people. There’ll be street parties and many types of civic events. It would be impossible for the mayor or deputy mayor to attend all the events organised.”

Fellow Conservative councillor Samer Bagaeen said that thousands of people celebrated the platinum jubilee last year – and if people wanted to celebrate the coronation, the council should support them.

He said that the Queen’s funeral boosted the local economy and added:

“There will be economic benefits, not necessarily costs. We can’t keep looking at costs without looking at the benefits.

“We can’t get the benefits unless we spend a little bit of money.”

Green councillor Steph Powell said that fees for road closures were likely to be waived and that the council would collate applications for street parties planned for the coronation bank holiday weekend.

Labour said that the council should support and promote events organised by the mayor’s office or attended by the mayor or deputy mayor.

Labour councillor Amanda Evans said that Brighton and Hove was not “particularly over-stuffed with royalists” – but thousands would want to celebrate and were welcome to do so.

 Amanda Evans

She likened the motion to a Tory plea last year to fund a statue of the Queen to mark her platinum jubilee.

Councillor Evans said:

“I just don’t think the city will thank us in the middle of a ‘cost of living crisis’ when people can barely afford to heat their homes or eat half the time.

“I don’t think they’d thank us for paying for a full programme of civic events.”

Fellow Labour councillor Amanda Grimshaw said that she attended the Queen’s funeral commemorations and had a train ticket booked for the coronation as a historian interested in the nation’s royal history.

She said:

"There is a long tradition in this country of celebrating coronations and jubilees. I’m quite sure prior to this period of time people managed to celebrate without having council funding.

Amanda Grimshaw

“Let’s go ahead and celebrate if you want but we cannot possibly condone taking money from the council purse when we have children starving and nurseries being closed.”

The committee voted to support events organised by the mayor’s office and events to be attended by the mayor or deputy mayor – but against the council organising a programme of events itself.

The coronation is due to take place on Saturday 6 May, the same day as the Children’s Parade that marks the start of the Brighton Festival. Monday 8 May has been declared an extra bank holiday.