THE cost to Scottish Borders Council of hosting the Queen’s Baton Relay – the appetizer for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games – topped £45,295.
A freedom of information response has revealed that £14,436 went on “staff salaries and fees” for the spectacle which saw the baton journey from Duns to Hawick, via Greenlaw, Earlston, Melrose, Tweedbank, Selkirk, Kelso and Jedburgh, on June 18.
Fees in relation to the events at Tweedbank, the Greenyards (Melrose) and Hawick totalled £10,000, while the cost of providing materials for the pupils of the three participating high schools was £7,252.
Hospitality and catering accounted for another £2,130 while £8,716 was spent on what the council describes as “other event expenses”.
According to the BBC, the bill puts the council in eleventh place in the league table of high-spending local authorities in respect of the relay.
Other smaller local authorities which outspent SBC included South Ayrshire (£68,625), Renfrewshire (£55,122); East Renfrewshire (£48,295), and East Lothian (£46,752).
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