Even before the bunting was unfurled and the street party tables were laid, some had questioned whether the Platinum Jubilee celebrations were worth the expense. There had been some confusion on social media as to exactly how much the festivities would cost UK taxpayers, with Full Fact clarifying that miscalculations had severely overestimated the amount. Balance sheetThe “crown jewel” of the weekend’s celebrations was the Jubilee Pageant, said The Times, a display expected to cost around £15m. The event, which The Times said featured a “surreal image of a hologram Queen”, was organised by the Platinum Jubilee Pageant Ltd, which the paper said had been “independently fundraising to deliver the pageant at no cost to the taxpayer”. An impact assessment published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in February indicated that the additional jubilee bank holiday could cost the economy around £2.39bn.

Source: The Times June 06, 2022 12:37 UTC