Day off for Royal wedding could cost Highland Council

The Royal wedding will take place on 29 April

Giving staff the Royal wedding as an additional public holiday would cost Highland Council £200,000, the local authority has said.

Cover would have to be brought in for frontline staff in social work and transport, environmental and community (Tec) services employees.

Officers have also said it would cause disruption to the school year.

Staff's contracts do not entitle them to a day off on 29 April when Prince William and Kate Middleton will wed.

The council's resources committee will be asked to consider three options on how to react to the national public holiday.

Option one would be to grant an additional fixed public holiday and also request for an exceptional closure of schools from the Scottish government.

The second suggestion is for the day to be given as an extra day of annual leave and apply for the closure of schools.

Option three would allow non-school staff to request 29 April as one of their seven "floating" public holidays, or take it as flexi-leave.

However, there would be no automatic entitlement to leave requests being granted.

The first option would incur the £200,000 cost, while the second option would require £100,000 to pay for relief staff.

Option three would result in the least disruption and no additional costs, according to officers.

Councillors will discuss the options at a meeting on Wednesday.