Personalised reg on the Mayor’s vehicle could become something far more normal

First the Bus Station, now the mayor’s number plate.

It seems council bosses are having a pre-Christmas clear out of council responsibilities and valuables at Preston City Council.

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The personalised number plate for the mayor’s vehicle, owned since the 1930s, is going on eBay.

CCK1 will need to go for more than £22,000 to help fill a hole in the council’s budget.

Councillor Martyn Rawlinson, cabinet member for resources, is blaming central government cuts for the auction.

He said: “People pay lots of money for personalised number plates and CCK1 is a very special plate. It’s a first edition, historic registration that has been owned by the Mayor of Preston since the 1930’s – so it’s got all the history and tradition to go with it. We expect there will be a lot of interest from people wanting to own it.

“As a council we can’t justify cutting services whilst the Mayor drives round with a cherished number plate that’s worth many thousands of pounds. So, we’ve decided to sell the number plate and use the money raised to help balance our budgets.

“In the age of austerity we have to be imaginative, creative and think outside the box to explore every possible way of raising money. It’s a no brainer really to sell the number plate. Time has moved on now and most people don’t know that CCK has a Preston connection. They just think CCK is a set of initials like the vast majority of private number plates are.

“We have a reserve of £22,000 and it will not be sold for a penny less – so no timewasters please! This is a once in a lifetime chance to own a piece of history, but only at the right price.”

Councillor Veronica Afrin, Mayor of Preston, said: “It’s a sign of the times that CCK1 is being sold. The number plate is a real talking point when I turn up at events, as people always ask me is it my initials! But CCK is the old Preston area registration from the 1930’s when the Mayor was issued with the number one plate. CCK1 has adorned every mayoral car since then so there’s a lot of history to it. I’m sure there’ll be lots of bids, as CCK1 is a very rare and historic number plate indeed.”

If CCK1 isn’t sold for £22,000 or more then it will be removed from sale.

Town Hall bosses are fing finding budget savings of £m by 2016/17.

What do you think about the sale? Let us know in the comments below

Image credit to Bernie Blackburn