The figure has sparked criticism as it came at a time when the borough council is making budget cuts of £21million, with hundreds of workers losing their jobs.

Council bosses have defended the cost – which covered the scrolls, sign writing, hospitality, flowers and recording the event to put on YouTube, saying the glam rock legend has promoted Walsall all over the world.

The figure, revealed through a freedom of information request, has sparked a debate over whether it was worth the expense at a time when Walsall Council is having to make millions of pounds worth of cuts.

Reported by the Express and Star. You can read the full story here. 

I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.