Match this for an error. The British government sent out a regeneration grant of £2.7 million (c $5.4 million) for Newcastle. Unfortunately, they didn't. They intended it for the city we all call Newcastle, whose official name is Newcastle upon Tyne. In fact they sent it to the small rural town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, the mayor of which was very pleased at the government's generosity. The small town won't give the money back

Here's the story. Hazel Blears is the cabinet minister in charge of these payments. [My heading to this post is from " to send coals to Newcastle" a saying meaning to do something wholly unnecessary, irrelevant, pointless and ill thought out, Newcastle being a coal city].

Newcastle

A letter writer to The Times said the government lacked imagination. There are, after all, other Newcastles thousands of miles from the Tyne, not just 186 miles.

Fred, many years ago, I read about a US government grant (over $1 million, as I recall) to some university instructor to study why people became angry at their government. While not officially an error, it is still a remarkable act. (I would have told them why for half that amount. )