roachieuk
Elite Member
By Alex Watts, Sky News Online
The Queen has been criticised after a freedom of information request revealed she tried to use an anti-poverty grant to heat her palaces.
A senior Royal aide wrote to the Government in 2004 asking whether Her Majesty would be eligible for a handout from a £60m energy-saving fund.
He complained that the cost of keeping the Queen and her staff warm had doubled to £1m a year, and the £15m Government grant to maintain her palaces was inadequate.
But the request to replace four combined heat and power (CHP) units at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle was turned down, according to documents obtained by The Independent under the the Freedom of Information Act.
In an apologetic email to the Palace, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport explained that the handouts were meant to help low-income families.
The official also expressed concern that if the Queen was handed money out of the poverty fund it would lead to "probable adverse press coverage".
The email said: "I think this is where the Community Energy Funding is directed and ties in with most allocations going to community heating schemes run by local authorities, housing associations, universities etc.
"I also feel a bit uneasy about the probable adverse press coverage if the Palace were given a grant at the expense of say a hospital.
"Sorry this doesn't sound more positive."
Graham Smith, a spokesman for Republic, a campaign group calling for the monarchy to be scrapped, told Sky News Online: "It's appalling, it's the most crass thing I have ever heard in my life.
"The anti-poverty grant is meant to go to needy people - and the idea that the Palace can take money from the poor to bankroll the rich is disgusting."
The news also caused anger on internet forums. One poster, Tony Martin, said: "It's worse than the Dickensian days where the evil rich minority trampled on the poor."
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman declined to comment on the application.
The documents show the Freedom of Information requests were initially refused.
The Royal email had asked: "Community Energy can fund up to 40% of the capital costs of implementing a community heating scheme.
"Since we are already grant-in-aid funded (the Queen receives £15m a year for the upkeep of her palaces) we would like to know whether the Household [would] be able to benefit from these grants. I look forward to your comments."
The Queen receives £38.2m a year from the Government, including £7.9m for the Civil List, which covers her personal spending and staff salaries.
Queen's Bid For Poverty Grant Slammed
Is this a windup or for real?
The Queen has been criticised after a freedom of information request revealed she tried to use an anti-poverty grant to heat her palaces.
A senior Royal aide wrote to the Government in 2004 asking whether Her Majesty would be eligible for a handout from a £60m energy-saving fund.
He complained that the cost of keeping the Queen and her staff warm had doubled to £1m a year, and the £15m Government grant to maintain her palaces was inadequate.
But the request to replace four combined heat and power (CHP) units at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle was turned down, according to documents obtained by The Independent under the the Freedom of Information Act.
In an apologetic email to the Palace, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport explained that the handouts were meant to help low-income families.
The official also expressed concern that if the Queen was handed money out of the poverty fund it would lead to "probable adverse press coverage".
The email said: "I think this is where the Community Energy Funding is directed and ties in with most allocations going to community heating schemes run by local authorities, housing associations, universities etc.
"I also feel a bit uneasy about the probable adverse press coverage if the Palace were given a grant at the expense of say a hospital.
"Sorry this doesn't sound more positive."
Graham Smith, a spokesman for Republic, a campaign group calling for the monarchy to be scrapped, told Sky News Online: "It's appalling, it's the most crass thing I have ever heard in my life.
"The anti-poverty grant is meant to go to needy people - and the idea that the Palace can take money from the poor to bankroll the rich is disgusting."
The news also caused anger on internet forums. One poster, Tony Martin, said: "It's worse than the Dickensian days where the evil rich minority trampled on the poor."
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman declined to comment on the application.
The documents show the Freedom of Information requests were initially refused.
The Royal email had asked: "Community Energy can fund up to 40% of the capital costs of implementing a community heating scheme.
"Since we are already grant-in-aid funded (the Queen receives £15m a year for the upkeep of her palaces) we would like to know whether the Household [would] be able to benefit from these grants. I look forward to your comments."
The Queen receives £38.2m a year from the Government, including £7.9m for the Civil List, which covers her personal spending and staff salaries.
Queen's Bid For Poverty Grant Slammed
Is this a windup or for real?
