Lancaster Mayoral Car’s Rare ‘L50’ Number Plate May Be Put Up for Auction
Under proposed cost-cutting changes, Lancaster City Council is considering auctioning off the exclusive ‘L50’ private number plate that has been displayed on the limousines used for civic events by the city’s mayors. While the personalised plate has been used on many mayoral cars over the years, there appears to be no record of its origins.
A report issued to city councillors says that the ‘L50’ number plate is “quite valuable” with estimates ranging from £25,000 to £80,000. The actual value of the plate will be dependent on how much interest there is in it. However, those figures vastly overshadow the current £16,000 annual budget for the mayor’s official transport. Councillors have been told that proceeds from the auction could be utilised for the purchase of a new, more environmentally friendly electric vehicle for the mayor’s use.
The report to the city council cabinet meeting proposes ways to reduce the costs of the mayor’s transport and staff. If the cabinet deemed it necessary for the mayoral car to have a personalised number plate, a variety of registration numbers with the letters LCC and different numerals are available for £200 to £300.
In the past, the ‘L50’ was displayed on an executive vehicle leased by the council for the mayor’s use. They also employed a full-time mayor’s chauffeur/attendant, or beadle, to drive and accompany the mayor to civic and council events. Eventually, there was not enough work for a full-time beadle, so an outside chauffeuring company was contracted to provide a driver/attendant to drive the mayor in the leased car.
When the vehicle lease ended, the chauffeuring company agreed to provide a limousine and have the ‘L50’ plate transferred to it. The expiry of the contract coincided with the start of the pandemic and, due to no events taking place, it wasn’t renewed. Now, with the increase in events for the mayor, councillors are being asked to look at ways to save on costs.
The report into the possible auction of the ‘L50’ personalised number plate states that the sale would result in enough money to buy an electric vehicle for use by the mayor. It would also cover the cost of a part-time beadle for two days a week, and additional hours as required for special events.
Number Plates for Every Budget
While the Lancaster City Council’s ‘L50’ personalised number plate might not make the list of the top 10 most expensive plates, it will be beyond the budget of many people. But, at CarReg, we have over 60 million private number plates available from just £155, so you should be able to find a suitable personalised registration number within your budget. Start your search today.
Alternatively, if you’ve got a personalised plate that you’re considering selling, use our free valuation service to find out what you could get for it.
Image Source: lancasterguardian.co.uk
