City taking us for a ride with their overpriced funfair fees

IN times of financial belt-tightening, Edinburgh's city leaders have never been known for their sense of fun.

But the latest revenue-raising idea to come from the City Chambers sparked warnings today of the death of traditional fairgrounds and carnivals.

Funfair operators say they are already being forced out of the city due to the highest licensing fees in Scotland. Now council officials have recommended further increasing the cost of a new or temporary public entertainment licence from this June.

The Showmen's Guild of Great Britain today said operators would no longer find it financially viable to visit the Capital and would be forced to stay away.

While large funfairs, such as the popular summer shows on the Meadows, will still come to Edinburgh, there are fears that small operations – usually found at shopping centres and community galas – will vanish. For its part, the council today said it had yet to approve the new costs, and insisted it would listen to operators' concerns.

But Alex Colquhoun, vice chairman of the Scottish section of the Guild, said: "The small funfairs can't afford to go to Edinburgh. The price of everything is already going up – such as fuel and rental costs – so our members are telling us they can't afford to put funfairs on.

"Edinburgh is the highest charging council, and it can cost nearly £2000 for a licence, but just £100 in many other areas. If you don't get a licence, there is no refund or right to appeal."

Mr Colquhoun said licence costs were also high in Glasgow. However, he said the council there had set up a working group to discuss the issue.

Fees are proposed to rise in Edinburgh from £1066 to £1600 for a small fairground holding between 201 and 1000 people.

In contrast, a temporary six-week licence costs just £25 in East Lothian, £79 in West Lothian or around £90 in Midlothian.

An Easter Carnival is currently operating at the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre in south Edinburgh, run by Andrew Masterton from Funtime Carnivals.

He said today: "I'm from Fife and I can put on a fair in North Queensferry and pay £18 for a public entertainment licence. But for the same fair across the Forth Road Bridge in South Queensferry, it costs hundreds of pounds. There is no uniformity."

Mr Masterton said he used to put on smaller shows at the Jack Kane Centre in Niddrie, and Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes, but had now been "priced out of the market".

The council's fees for a new or temporary licence currently range from £800 for the smallest of operations to a maximum of £5600 for venues holding more than 10,000 people.

The new charges proposed by officials still start at £800, but would rise to as much as £40,000 for venues hosting over 80,000 people – such as high-profile gigs at Murrayfield.

A council spokesman said: "The committee hasn't actually reached a conclusion on this yet as there is a further report to follow."