Vélez-Málaga Council has decided to dispense with the original municipal shield for ‘day to day’ business and use a new shield which enhances the figure of the king, justifying the action on the grounds that creating a new ‘daily’ shield will save money.
The original shield, granted by Queen Isabel in 1499, is to be reserved for institutional and official acts. The shield shows the king on horseback, with a groom at his feet having just died saving the king’s life and a Moor running away with a spear in his back.
Would not the mandatory use of the original shield by all departments, rather than derivatives, have saved more money, i.e. no need to pay someone a small fortune to design a new one? And are there not much more important things requiring attention during a financial crisis?