THE dire state of the council’s finances will see the city’s mayor stripped of the trappings of office in a bid to raise hundreds of thousands.

A personal “TR 1” number plate that adorns the mayor’s Mercedes is set to be put up for sale while the council’s town sergeants will no longer be paid to act as chauffeurs or carry out ceremonial duties, such as bearing his mace, saving £40,000 a year.

The number plate, which could interest the likes of composer Tim Rice or actor Tony Robinson, could fetch more than £100,000 at auction.

Registration Transfers, the largest dealer in Britain, put a £150,000 price tag on the “TS 1” plate for Dundee Lord Provost John Letford's official Volkswagen Phaeton. Essex County Council sold its F1 plate in 2008 for £440,625.

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