A NEW £200,000 "monarchist statue" celebrating the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee could be included in this year's council budget.

The Conservatives also want to redirect £70,000 to fund celebrations to mark the Queen's 70th year as head of state.

This would include £30,000 to support community events over Jubilee weekend, £30,000 to support City in Bloom, and £7,000 in recurrent funding to pay for the statue.

Under the proposals - put forward as part of suggested amendments to the 2022-23 budget for the city - the council would also send a card to Her Majesty on behalf of the whole city.

Conservative finance spokesman Joe Miller said they would like to see the city properly participate in celebrations of the Jubilee.

He said: "We are a city with a great royal tradition and history and indeed a royal palace. The Queen has visited Brighton and Hove many times over the years and is universally respected by residents.

"We would also like to see a statue commissioned to mark the moment so that residents in the future will be able to see how we marked the historic and first-ever Platinum Jubilee in Brighton and Hove.

"It would be fantastic if our city could come together to make sure that the city is beautifully presented for the jubilee year and this might encourage more tourists to come back to the city."

The Tories say the funding would help bring councillor Carol Theobald's petition for a return of City in Bloom to fruition, with the city decked out in red, white and blue for the summer.

Money for the funding could come from re-allocating £40,000 earmarked for increasing the supply of allotments, as well as re-allocating £23,000 from Tech Takeback, a scheme for recycling unwanted electronics.

The Conservatives' plans also aim to secure another £4.12 million for the restoration works for Madeira Terraces through reducing the revenue budget contribution to the city wide transport model by £76,000 this year and next, with capital investment providing the rest.

Conservative councillors have previously expressed concerns that the council is not prepared to mark the Jubilee year in the city, with no events listed on the council's website for the four-day weekend in June.

Cllr Miller said: "The Madeira Terraces should be the number one public works priority in the city and we are looking to provide further funding towards this in the budget.

"The Conservatives recognise that residents and community groups such as Save Madeira Terraces Campaign want to see the Madeira Terraces project underway and treated with the priority that it deserves, which is what this amendment will help achieve."

A council spokesman said: "We are keen to help our communities celebrate the Jubilee and are currently coordinating a range of events and initiatives.

"We will be supporting communities to come together and hold street parties, participate in the lighting of Beacons, and organise tree planting as part of The Queen's green canopy initiative."

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.