PLANS to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend by buying the council a new ceremonial “trinket” have been branded “obscene”.

Next year will mark 70 years since the Queen came to the throne, with celebrations across the UK due to run for four days from Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5.

Basildon Council’s plans have been given an approximate budget of £40,000, and include proposals for ‘Platinum Jubilee Beacons’, a Jubilee lunch, a Queen’s Green Canopy, a bronze profile of Her Majesty, and the purchase of a ceremonial mace for the office of the mayor.

Speaking at a meeting of the Communities and Wellbeing Committee on Tuesday evening, Councillor Kerry Smith said: “I mean it all seems good, but the mace I just think it is obscene, I mean it is supposed to be celebrating the Queen, and the mayor wants a trinket, which has got no relevance.

“We’ve got three pensioner clubs in the borough; we could use the money for the mace to say to them ‘Have the celebration on us’.”

Full details of the proposals are yet to be confirmed.

Councillor Jack Ferguson, Labour group leader, also wanted to ensure that residents receive value for money.

He said: “It is an event we should all be proud of and want to celebrate and I look forward to celebrating it with members of the community across Basildon borough and the country.

“But I think with some of the initiatives, we need to ensure that value for money and where we are spending taxpayers’ money, and that we look after the taxpayer.

“I question the need for a mace. Why should something that is only used six times a year and seen by 42 members but be paid for by 200,000 people, be seen as value for money for an expense?

“We want to ensure the Queen’s Jubilee is celebrated with our residents, but the mace is not something that is worth purchasing.”

What do you think? Is the mace good value for taxpayers’ money, or is the entire £40,000 excessive? Send your thoughts to our letters page on