An English rugby star has expressed an interest in a rare car registration plate which will go under the hammer to help plug East Renfrewshire Council’s budget gap.
It is hoped the HS 0 plate – inherited from the former Eastwood District Council – could be sold for a six-figure sum.
Cabinet members have now backed the move, with the council suggesting celebrities with the initials HS, such as chart star Harry Styles and TV presenter Helen Skelton, might want to buy the plate.
And, after sharing the news on social media, the council received a response from England and Exeter rugby ace Henry Slade, who asked: “How much we talking?”
The council responded that his people should get in touch to discuss a potential sale.
A decision to sell the plate was previously agreed, with the council facing a funding shortfall of £30million over the next three years.
An official said: “It has not been in use since the lease on the council’s car expired last year and has now been identified as a potential way for the council to generate a capital receipt in the face of a challenging financial landscape.
“It is thought the sale could generate a six-figure sum for the council.”
The plate will be sold at auction, with a “suitable reserve to protect the council’s interests.”
The official said HS was “the prefix used for Renfrewshire” and ‘0’ would have been "the first one in a series, perhaps.”
Councillor Danny Devlin asked whether there had been any interest.
The official replied: “Before we brought this proposal forward, we had had some interest but we wanted to make sure we took it forward, publicised it appropriately and took the appropriate channels.”
She added: “We’ve had a lot of correspondence,” including from “an England rugby player on Twitter.”
Councillor Katie Pragnell praised the council’s communication team for “getting the message out.”
She said: “It was the talk of social media and media, even newspapers in Belfast picked up this development in the council.”
Council leader Owen O’Donnell added: “I think the publicity campaign was genius, to get East Renfrewshire on the front page of various papers along with a picture of Harry Styles was pretty awesome.
“We look forward to a strong bid from Harry Styles at any point.”
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