The Queen On The Sponge...

[baw 4,360]

The Queen asked ministers for money to heat Buckingham Palace from a fund reserved for low-income families, it has been revealed.

 

Royal aides pleaded for the cash as they claimed gas and electricity bills had risen by more than 50 per cent in a year - totalling more than £1million.

 

They complained that the £15million government grant to cover the Queen's palaces was inadequate and her energy bills had become 'untenable'.

 

The money would have come from £60million of energy-saving grants reserved for cash-strapped families, housing associations and hospitals.

 

 

The Queen asked ministers for money to heat Buckingham Palace from a fund reserved for low-income families

But ministers rejected the 2004 application made by the Royal Household, fearing a public relations disaster.

 

The Independent newspaper reports that the Queen's deputy treasurer also wrote to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport for a grant to replace four heating and power units at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

 

The revelations came after it was revealed that the Queen has been forced to sign agreements that effectively give the Government a veto over her spending.

 

A previously unpublished memo revealed that under Labour, ministers were given the right to over-ride Her Majesty's office on decisions about royal palaces in the event of a dispute.

 

And it emerged that the same arrangement is in place to cover most of the £38.2million of government money given to the sovereign each year.

 

The decision raises the prospect of the Queen being made to surrender control of her finances to ministers if they fail to agree on how the money should be spent.

 

The Government is able to influence what the Queen spends because it sets the amount of funding she receives and requires auditing of the accounts.

 

'Financial memorandums' containing 70 clauses were drawn up in 2006, formalising the threat of much tighter controls and paving the way for closer scrutiny in future.

 

Professor Gary Slapper, director of the Centre for Law at the Open University, said: 'It is, in effect, a formal farewell to one of the vestiges of monarchical power. The legal power and influence of the British monarchy has been slipping away for centuries and this memorandum makes clear and concrete that the ultimate power over the monarch and money is held by a minister from an elected government.'

 

The Queen receives £38.2million a year from the Government. This includes the Civil List - a £7.9million annual grant from the Treasury to cover the Queen's personal spending and staff salaries - and four grants - in- aid totalling £19.7million from other departments for areas including travel and building repairs.

 

Last year she also got £3.9million in miscellaneous costs met by the Government and Crown Estate. The biggest grant is £15.4million for property maintenance from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which also pays her £400,000 communications bill.

 

The previously unseen clause in its memorandum - revealed under the Freedom of Information Act - says: 'In the event of any irreconcilable differences over the interpretation of this financial memorandum or the memorandum of understanding, the Secretary of State shall be entitled to cease payment of grant-in-aid and take over directly the execution of her responsibility for the provision of property services for the occupied Royal palaces, funding for Royal communications, and provision of property and guard services for Marlborough House.'

 

A senior royal aide admitted: 'If there is, for example, an issue where a wall collapsed because we didn't have enough money and it became a danger to members of the public, then the department could tell us we had to fix the wall.'

 

The Freedom of Information requests were initially refused, but the Queen's spokesman denied a cover-up, saying: 'We are a fully transparent and accountable organisation. The nature of finances is under review following the change of government.'

[nothernlite 18,089]

WELL SHE IS A PENSIONER LOL

[baw 4,360]

WELL SHE IS A PENSIONER LOL

aye, give her the £100 winter allowance like the rest of them:D

[danw 1,748]

I would have thought you had bigger problems up in scotchland with that wanker wee eck than worry about our queen

[Born Hunter 17,809]

Well, as long as it upsets disgruntled republicans she can spend what she like for me!

[Born Hunter 17,809]

I would have thought you had bigger problems up in scotchland with that wanker wee eck than worry about our queen

 

Didn't you know Dan, they want to keep her as their monarch as well......

[Malt 379]

She's the f***ing queen, every quid she spends has got her own head on it FFS!

[redial 81]

She should down size or flog a few things.

[Born Hunter 17,809]

I'm all for Monarchy but ffs

Let the Family club together to heat their Nan's place

It's a fooking discrace.

 

They do Max, then they give the majority of it to the HM Gov.

 

Would you like them to keep all their revenue? They wouldn't have a problem then would they.

[nothernlite 18,089]

hit her with bedroom tax

[baw 4,360]

 

 

I'm all for Monarchy but ffs

Let the Family club together to heat their Nan's place

It's a fooking discrace.

They do Max, then they give the majority of it to the HM Gov.

 

Would you like them to keep all their revenue? They wouldn't have a problem then would they.

What incomes that then? Ohhh revenue not income, I see.....

[baw 4,360]

I love the way you give someone a title, someone who scratches there arse, shits and pushes like me and you and because they have a title, clowns are happy to give them £38 million a year talk about brainwashed

[gonetoearth 5,144]

I love the way you give someone a title, someone who scratches there arse, shits and pushes like me and you and because they have a title, clowns are happy to give them £38 million a year talk about brainwashed

. Yeh but yours come out your mouth !!!!!

[gonetoearth 5,144]

Mmmmm lets think who own the press thats currently get trawled through the courts. Would not be a lttile austrialian republican. Would it. While. RBS looses record amounts and still wants to pay 200 mill in bonus , its pick on lizzy time. Oh and Lets stop and think a moment. Theres a pile on concrete shit up in the burg. How much did it cost to build and how much is it costing to HEAT. While. FAT NECK ECK. TRYS TO BECOME KING LOL LOL

[scothunter 12,609]

she charges 8quid a skull to have a look round her pad lol surely that will pay the leccy.

 

seriously though,they are our castles and buildings,we should look after them,and its been explained god knows how many times on here,the cost of the royals,and what would happen if we cut her off.it would cost us a fortune if we reversed the current deal we have with the monarchy. aye they are trully privellaged,and wealth beyond our dreams,but apart from it being the last true British institution(when were losing more everyday)..a lot of countrys envy our monarchy.think the millions they generate in tourisim speaks for itself.