Majority of Brits Unhappy with Buckingham Palace’s £369m Renovation Project
The majority of Britons are unhappy with Buckingham Palace’s £369m renovation project, following the Treasury’s announcement of the plans last week.
Majority of Brits Unhappy with Buckingham Palace’s £369m Renovation Project
To fund the 10-year scheme, the Queen will be given a 66% pay rise, which will last for the entirety of the renovation project. However, this news has resulted in a backlash from the general public and has left UK taxpayers questioning who should pay for the work.
Consequently, a petition requesting the Queen to pay for the refurbishment herself reached its target in a matter of days, attracting more than 140,000 signatures.
Conducting its own research on the controversial scheme, leading home services marketplace Plentific.com has found that two out of three UK taxpayers are unhappy with the costs.
The firm revealed that 68% of Britons are unhappy with the £369m price tag. As the home of Buckingham Palace, Londoners appear more supportive of the renovation project, with just 61% saying they are unhappy with the costs. Plentific believes that this may be due to those living in the capital being less surprised by the level of funding needed for the work.
Similarly to the sentiment felt around the EU referendum, Scotland has taken a distinctly negative stance and has proven to be the most unsupportive country in the UK, with 81% saying they are unhappy with the costs. 82% of residents in Edinburgh disapprove the costs, whilst Glaswegians are more sympathetic, with 77% feeling unsatisfied.
Bristol has shown the highest level of support throughout the country, with just 54% feeling unhappy with the £369m investment. Brighton, too, shows more understanding of the costs, at 59%.
The least happy locations in England are: Nottingham, 78, Liverpool, 73%, Sheffield, 72%, and Leeds, 70%.
The spokesperson for Plentific, Stephen Jury, comments: “Whilst the price for upgrading seems steep, these refurbishments are essential to the safety of the building and will allow Buckingham Palace to continue to attract tourism and generate revenue.
“For the average UK taxpayer, the cost obviously comes across as a shock, which is highlighted by our research with the majority not being happy with the bill.”
How do you feel about the £369m renovation project?