£360,000 cost of Wellington protests
The cost of a demonstration by the English Defence League and a counter protest by Unity held in Wellington during the summer was more than £360,000, it has been revealed. The cost of a demonstration by the English Defence League and a counter protest by Unity held in Wellington during the summer was more than £360,000, it has been revealed. Telford & Wrekin Council said the demonstrations, which were held in the town in August, cost the authority £22,507, including planning, staffing and other resources on the day. West Mercia Police announced its operation cost £342,500, including £300,000 on additional resources from other forces. Council officers from nine different teams were involved in the preparations prior to the demonstrations on August 13. Full report in today's Shropshire Star [24link]
Staff were involved from the authority's public protection department, legal services, customer services, safer communities, public realm and highways, corporate communications, community engagement, IT and health, safety and resilience.
Councillor Shaun Davie, from the council, said: "In many ways, the demonstrations have ultimately brought the community in Telford and Wrekin closer together.
"The council and the police and other partners worked very closely to develop a plan for all eventualities on the day and the fact that it passed off with relative calm is a testament to the work that was done.
"We went out of our way to reassure the community and I hope that message got across.
"The costs that the council incurred were significant in terms of time and resources and they demonstrate the amount of work that was put in to protect our community and ensure the demonstrations passed off as peacefully as possible."
Despite the major disruption it caused, police chiefs say Operation Crown was a success and a total of 46 arrests were made on the day for a range of public order offences.
A report to the West Mercia Police Authority on the operation said: "Approximately 350 to 400 people attended from each opposing group and there was significant potential for conflict throughout the day.
"The heavy police presence helped to reduce the incidence of disorder.
"The total cost of the operation was approximately £342,500 of which £300,000 was the total cost of mutual aid supplied by other forces."
