Concerned about another member's safety or wellbeing? Find out how to let us know.
Royal spending and carbon footprint.
KittyTinker
Member Posts: 80 Pioneering
Am I on my own to feel really really cross about the latest royal accounts. I must say I have a soft spot for the queen, just because she’s an old lady still working however my father in law is 85 and still helps me in the garden. However the rest of them I really resent financing their jollies, home improvements and private healthcare when the rest of us are being treated like fools. Please feel free to delete this post if it’s too political. I just wondered if I’m on my own!
Comments
-
Definitely not alone!! I really like the royals but the home improvements for Harry and his wife really annoyed me!
-
I don’t understand. Silly people spending our money on home improvements.
-
Thanks Hart86 I just thought it would be interesting to ask on here as it’s unlikely to be stuffed with Russian bots and trolls just real people who don’t get to pick and choose where they go on holiday then call it work while they preach about global warming and being responsible citizens. We are saving up for solar panels but I haven’t noticed any on frogmore despite it costing 2.5 million SO FAR. But then again they don’t need solar panels when they have us to pay the electricity bill 😡
-
.......and every other bill they have as well Kitty . I suppose most of us would live to over 100 years old if we had our own personal physician by our side. The richest woman in the world and we keep topping up her bank accounts. All because of a fluke as to who your parents are .Mind you, if someone offered to pay all my Bill's, i would accept their kind offer ...but I could not sleep in my 470 bedroom house if I looked out the window and saw people starving and kids under the poverty line and people sleeping rough. I have no time for any royals ....having said that , there are plenty of other groups and organisations that have loads of cash but still tell us to " dig deep " 🙄
-
When you think about the whole of the royal family not just the immediate royal family goodness knows how much of our money they are spending. I am sure if we became a democracy we would be much better off!
-
Yeah, those royals are the biggest benefits scroungers are they not?
Apparently not.
The Queen’s official expenditure is met from public funds in exchange for the surrender by The Queen of the revenue from the Crown Estate. The Core Sovereign Grant is calculated based on 15% of the income account net surplus of the Crown Estate for the financial year two years previous. The Crown Estate surplus for the financial year 2016-17 amounted to £328.8 million, thereby producing a Core Sovereign Grant of £49.3 million for 2018-19.
So the Queen hands over £328.8 million to the treasury and is given an official grant of 15% to cover her costs.
This was upped to 25% with the additional 10% to cover ongoing works to palaces that are in use, like Buckingham Palace. I wonder how many people would happily hand over their income and accept a 15% grant and then be subject to public scrutiny on how we spend it, where we live or what we do with our lives.
The truth is this is not costing the public anything and comes from the Queens own income, with the vast majority of the money going to the Treasury.
Of course there is no way of knowing how much of 'our' money they are spending, and the Crown Estates are not their only source of income. For example the Duchy of Lancaster:
Duchy of Lancaster Income from the Duchy of Lancaster forms part of The Queen's Privy Purse income. The Privy Purse is a historical term used to describe The Queen's private income and it is largely used to meet official expenditure incurred by Her Majesty and other members of the Royal Family which is not met by the Sovereign Grant, and is taxed to the extent that the income is not used for official purposes.
Unless you look at the various published accounts that are freely available online.
@KittyTinker, sorry but for me this is a non story being drummed up by the media.
As an individual I stood alone.
As a member of a group I did things.
As part of a community I helped to create change! -
The accounts don’t include security either and I’m reminded of a story a friend told me about when she worked at a gents outfitters a police car was sent to her shop to collect a tie and waistcoat as her personal doctor who had forgotten his for the races.
-
No, but that is a parliament decision not to publish those costs.
Nice story, but from the context of this discussion are you inferring this was an abuse of the queen's authority or one of the courtiers? Unlikely.
Personally I don't have any strong feelings regarding the royal family. I do believe they provide good value for money, and contribute a huge amount to the economy both directly and indirectly. However if, as a country, we want to get rid of the monarchy give them back their finances and property and stop treating them like a government department. That way they can pay 45% taxes instead of 75%
Get rid of the pomp and ceremony which attracts so many overseas visitors. The diplomatic advantages and world stage showcase which promotes the best of Britain. Plus all the tat which is created around special events. At least we might be spared the sight of this:
As an individual I stood alone.
As a member of a group I did things.
As part of a community I helped to create change! -
As a country that has just pledged to cut carbon emissions to zero by 2050 perhaps we should be getting rid of all the tat which is created around special events and rethinking our behaviour when it comes to foreign travel we are destroying our planet and the royals are very quick to tell us that it’s all our fault while jumping on a private jet. Perhaps they have to rethink their role in society or perhaps as a nation we should rethink their place and size. My story is true I made no inference just told it as it happened, I personally think it’s a cheek to send a police car on a busy race day to collect a tie and waistcoat when a taxi or member of royal staff could have done the job,
-
Hi @KittyTinker
Well our views differ and that is fine, nor did I think what you said was untrue. I just happen to believe that the decision would have been taken by the police officers protecting the royal family that this was the most appropriate use of resources while maintaining security.
The UK has not pledged to cut carbon emissions to zero at any point. We have pledged to to cut our footprint to net zero carbon emissions. Or as it has been called previously carbon offsetting. Interesting though that you choose to focus on the royal family, especially as for decades Prince Charles has been ridiculed for his warnings about the environment and climate change.
I would agree with you if his use of a private jet was down purely to personal choice and frivolous. But like many of these stories we get half the information, he used a private jet x number of times. What we don't get is if there was a good reason for using this choice or not. Once the two parts of the equation is disclosed then I will decide if it is a waste of money or not, or if indeed he is deliberately choosing to increase his carbon footprint simply for comfort.
As for the 'free jollies' these are instigated on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They provide an integral part in strengthening our relationships with other countries. At a point in time where we are trying to cut ourselves off from our major trading partners to make our own way in the world I can see where it would make sense to either get rid off these duties from the royal family or at least drastically reduce them.
At least if we got rid off the royal family we could put an end to royal patronage of charities and events. That quaint traditional aspect of royalty which allows charities to have a bigger profile than they might otherwise have. Some are big names, others not so. Lesser known charities deal with child mental health, arthritis, homelessness, breaking addictions, osteoporosis and many other issues. Over 2000 charities are supported by royal family, including those often considered as superfluous. While some of them are inherited by the monarchy, most follow interests of the person who gives their patronage.
As I said, they contribute to the economy in many ways both directly and indirectly.
As an individual I stood alone.
As a member of a group I did things.
As part of a community I helped to create change! -
I think you are absolutely right we are never going to agree on this subject. I simply feel that we should be able to speak up if we feel strongly on a subject especially when it concerns powerful people. On a lighter note do you have any tips or advice on getting muddy paw prints out of a brand new carpet before they rip it out and send it to landfill. Just asking for a friend. 🤔
-
Hi @KittyTinker, as I said it is fine to have difference of opinions, and I hope you continue to speak up.
Cat or dog? We have a cat and my daughter uses Vanish Gold Carpet Cleaner which seems to work well. If this is likely to be a regular occurrence then getting a decent carpet cleaner could be a good investment. Your friend can see a recent review of carpet cleaners at https://uk.bestreviews.guide/carpet-cleaners?
Some have other uses that may help to offset the cost and make the additional purchase worth while. I hope your friend finds a better solution than the landfill.As an individual I stood alone.
As a member of a group I did things.
As part of a community I helped to create change! -
Sorry Geoark it was my attempt at humour, you can’t have seen that in today’s news Meghan’s dogs have paddled through Frogmore Cottage with muddy paws and ruined a brand new carpet 🐾 so it was removed and another fitted. Personally I would have moved the sofas, but it has given me an idea I’m currently designing wellies for dogs as I’ve heard really rich people will buy anything. 😉
-
ROFLMAO No I didn't see the news, or heard about this. As I understand it the furnishings will be paid for by Meghan and Harry, though it does seem a waste of money whoever is footing the bill. And with pet dogs this is likely to be an ongoing event and a bit of a non brainer. Thank you for a good laugh though
There are booties you can buy dogs, and they are hilarious when they first try them on, but they do tend to get used to them.
How are you doing, hope you had a good weekend.
As an individual I stood alone.
As a member of a group I did things.
As part of a community I helped to create change! -
We are great thanks we had a very quiet weekend my eldest had his school prom on Thursday and my young one had his music concert the same night so the weekend was for resting. They love Lewis Hamilton so they were quite content with build up qualifying and the race. I did jobs while I could. How about you and your family?
-
I hope the boys both enjoyed their events and had fun.
I've been out of sorts for a few days, so the weekend I spent a lot of down time. So things were fairly peaceful. My boss let me change my contracted day off, so was off Friday and meant to work from home today, however the system was not working properly so did not manage to get on until 3.30 this afternoon. Back to work tomorrow so hopefully things will get back to normal.As an individual I stood alone.
As a member of a group I did things.
As part of a community I helped to create change! -
I hope you are feeling better now good luck with work.🙂
-
@KittyTinker sorry for the delay in replying. Yes I'm feeling a lot better now.
As an individual I stood alone.
As a member of a group I did things.
As part of a community I helped to create change!
Brightness
Categories
- 48.4K All Categories
- 9.6K Start here and say hello!
- 3.9K Coffee lounge
- 3.9K Disability rights and campaigning
- 1.4K News and opportunities
- 134 Community updates
- 11.3K Talk about your situation
- 1.6K Children, parents, and families
- 620 Work and employment
- 517 Education
- 939 Housing, transport, and independent living
- 906 Aids, adaptations, and equipment
- 237 Dating, sex, and relationships
- 245 Exercise and accessible facilities
- 19.1K Talk about money
- 1.7K Benefits and financial support
- 4.2K Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- 11.2K PIP, DLA, and AA
- 1.9K Universal Credit (UC)
- 3.5K Talk about your impairment
- 1.2K Cerebral palsy
- 575 Chronic pain and pain management
- 636 Rare, invisible, and undiagnosed conditions
- 689 Autism and neurodiversity
- 821 Mental health and wellbeing
- 283 Sensory impairments
Do you need advice on your energy costs?
Scope’s Disability Energy Support service is open to any disabled household in England or Wales in which one or more disabled people live. You can get free advice from an expert adviser on managing energy debt, switching tariffs, contacting your supplier and more. Find out more information by visiting our
Disability Energy Support webpage.
