THE Pope’s visit to Birmingham cost the city taxpayers almost £82,000, according to council figures.
The total included a £1,000 contribution to a gift for Pope Benedict XVI on behalf of the people of Birmingham.
Other expenses included £8,808 on a civic dinner to celebrate the life and work of Cardinal Newman and a £29,977 contribution to a performance of the Dream of Gerontius oratorio.
The city council also spent £3,411 on staffing and infrastructure
and £16,605 on communicating with around 30,000 residents about route
and road closures.
The authority said, while some information relating to costs may
have been “inadvertently missed” due to the size and amount of
information it held, expenditure was kept to a minimum.
The information was requested by the National Secular Society, which
campaigns for the separation of Church and State and the abolition of
privileges granted to religious organisations.
Society president Terry Sanderson disputed the council’s claim that
the Pope’s visit provided £30 million worth of economic benefits for the
city.
“There is no indication where the highly speculative £30 million figure came from or how it was calculated,” he said.
“The pilgrims who attended the papal mass in Cofton Park were bussed in and out with little or no contact with the city.
“And we have yet to hear the cost of the security and policing of this event, which must have cost West Midlands Police dear.”
The Mail revealed last month that dignitaries who attended the civic
dinner, who included Princess Michael of Kent, enjoyed crab, smoked
salmon and fillet of beef.
But the council said it welcomed the Pope’s visit and “the
promotional opportunities provided for the city to gain notoriety for
its association with an event that was televised to billions of viewers
across the world”.
It added: “Expenditure was kept to a minimum.”
SIC: BM/UK