Extra cash spent on Zara Phillips wedding

AN extra £400,000 given to Edinburgh by the Scottish Government will have to be used to help pay the costs of hosting the wedding of the Queen's granddaughter, it emerged today.

The city council will face a hefty bill that it had not budgeted for as a result of Zara Phillips and England rugby star Mike Tindall choosing the Capital for their wedding.

The Canongate Kirk ceremony is expected to be attended by members of the royal family including the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as celebrities and sports stars - meaning that stringent security will need to be in place, at a cost to the council.

The extra cost of funding security, street cleaning, road closures and the erection of safety barriers is set to be funded through the annual additional payment made by the Scottish Government that recognises the special demands on Edinburgh as a capital city.

The city council's supplement was increased by 400,000 to 3.9 million. It has not yet allocated the extra money to any project - but the council's acting director of corporate services, David Jack, has admitted it may need to be used to support costs relating to the July 30 wedding.

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"We have some expenditure in terms of traffic management and road closures and such like," he said.

"While there is not any specific other funding available there was an allocation under the capital city supplement that can be drawn upon."

Director of finance Donald McGougan added: "There is an additional 400,000 that does not have any commitments. This is the type of thing that can be considered."

The council and police have begun discussions on security arrangements but it is not yet known exactly how much the preparations will cost the council.

This year's 400,000 increase in the capital city supplement came after independent MSP Margo MacDonald put pressure on the Scottish Government.

She said: "The council may well think this is the sort of thing that this is for - it is a big occasion that people might come to Edinburgh for as tourists.

"But you have to offset that against the fact that this is not a state wedding, it's a private wedding, and I'm not sure what the benefit will be to Edinburgh."

Ms Phillips, the 29-year-old daughter of Princess Anne, is not a working member of the royal family and does not hold a royal title, meaning that the wedding will be treated as a private event.

Councillor Steve Cardownie, the city's festivals and events champion, said: "The capital city supplement was established to help the council deal with the many events that take place, some of which are planned and some that are not planned.

"It makes sense if this money is required for policing and stewarding that this is an appropriate pot to take the money from."Edinburgh is a beautiful city and is a seat of government; that attracts events and demonstrations and the costs have to be paid for in some shape or form."