Cost of Liberation 70 celebrations (FOI)

​This request was made under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.  The majority of information requested, however, rests with the Bailiff’s Chambers which is not subject to the Law. Nevertheless, the Bailiff’s Chambers have responded to the request in the spirit of the Law.

If information has not been provided by the Bailiff’s Chambers, this is clearly stated in the response.

Liberation Day is an island wide event which impacts and benefits on the whole community. There are processes in place which advise and support the Bailiff’s role in this matter, and which inform the decision making process on all aspects of the event planning; these involve ministers and other members of the States, various States departments and some outside non government organisations.

Request

With regards to the costs of the recent Liberation 70 celebrations:

A.

How much was spent on the fireworks (hiring the production company/ fireworks/security)?

B.

How many guests were at the Bailiffs reception at the Grand Hotel and can we please have a guest list?

C.

How much money was spent on the reception at the Grand Hotel eg food, drinks and gifts?

D.

 In terms of security, policing and other costs, how much did it cost to host the visit of HRH the Countess of Wessex?

E.

Can you give us a breakdown of the amount paid to all the individuals who performed on the evening of May 9th at People’s Park? (individually broken down please)

F.

How much did the specially commissioned Liberation banners (for the Avenue) cost?

G,

How much did it cost to stage the celebration at Liberation Square this year (the total cost of all elements including staff, hiring of sound equipment, chairs, platforms, decorations etc)

Response

A.

The total sum spent was £39,500; this sum included not just the fireworks but also costs associated with the event production, site security, site access and logistics.

B.

Guests numbered 196. The event was hosted by the Bailiff on behalf of the States and we regret that we are unable to release individual names of those attending for reasons of privacy. However, the only people attending were States members, many distinguished visitors and official guests of the Island who were here especially for the 70th Anniversary of Liberation including French officials, naval officials, officials of Her Majesty’s Royal Marine Band, officials from the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, local ex service contingents and occupation veterans, representatives from the Jersey Internees Association, Jersey Evacuees Association, the Church communities and the charitable sector, as well as Liberation Day contributors, participants and volunteers.

C.

The total sum spent was £5,104.23 on the venue, food and beverage. There were no gifts involved.

D.

While it is not possible to provide a cost solely for the visit of HRH The Countess of Wessex, the States of Jersey Police has advised that the cost in ‘overtime’ for policing of both the Liberation and Royal visit was £9,458.69.

E.

We regret that we are not able to provide this information on the grounds that it is commercially sensitive and might be prejudicial to those involved.

F.

The Treasury has advised that the Economic Development Department (tourism) paid a total of £6,820 for banners on the avenue.

G.

The total approximate cost was £24,184.73 (some costs have been apportioned as they were shared across sites or are still to be finalised and have been estimated in the total provided).