Lord Mayor’s number plate should be sold to the highest bidder to raise much needed funds - Yorkshire Post Letters

There has been comment that to plug urgent frontline budget cuts at Leeds City Council, an out-of-the-box idea is to put the first ever car plate ever used in Leeds up for auction.

The number plate currently belongs to the Ceremonial Leeds Lord Mayor's Office; it has been so ever since 1903, when Arthur Currer Briggs was chosen as Mayor, and to celebrate the grand occasion, Yorkshire motoring pioneer Rowland Winn gave his friend the very first number plate issued in Leeds - U1.

I think that this is an excellent idea, with a £60m pound deficit hitting our public services in this great city.

Perhaps this can be an opportunity for the business community to come together and have a friendly bidding war over the famous U1 number plate.

Leeds' financial district holds many world class companies with links to titans of industry across the world, likewise, industrial and motoring firms in Leeds are a healthy and important part of our economy today.

If I were a manager or boss at one of these influential firms, I'd be thinking that it would be an impressive sculpture, a historic ornament, a great conversation starter and a sign of deep loyalty to Leeds if I had the famous U1 number plate in my office, or in my firm's reception.

A profitable Leeds firm or community business, if it is the winning bidder, could also say that they helped raise money for the people of Leeds' public services which highlights their commitment to corporate social responsibility.