Edinburgh's Corstorphine Fair makes cuts as council charges and requirements increase
‘Every year the council moves the goal posts and makes it harder and harder and harder’ - former MP John Barrett
Organisers of the Corstorphine Fair say they have had to make cuts to the event this weekend because of ever-increasing licensing and rental fees charged by the council.
Ewan Irvine, chair of the Corstorphine Fair Committee, said the extra costs had forced them to reduce the size of the stage used for the opening ceremony and for bands; as well as ditching one of their generators; and launching a Go Fund Me page for the first time.
He said: "We're just trying to make any savings that we can. And we're going to have to scale back the Christmas lights switch-on for the next two years as well."
Mr Irvine said the fair - which is held every two years - was having to pay a refundable £1,000 bond for using St Margaret's Park, despite the fair’s long history of successfully operating without issue. "We always leave the park in better condition than the council keep it," he said.
But they are also being charged rental for the park, totalling £1,000 for three days - setting up, fair day and clearing away. "We've never had to pay the park rental before," he added.
Mr Irvine said the overarching problem was what seemed to be ever-changing rules and requirements,
"Every time when it comes to the next fair things have changed and we find things are added. We're all volunteers and we spend hours and hours on licensing administration and plans. The requirements just get more and more complicated and time-consuming. The way they work at the moment is not fit for purpose.
"Two years ago we met the head of licensing and explained how every fair and gala is told different things, different rules, different costs and they said 'We'll sort this out' but it's worse than ever. We can't let them sort themselves out again because they don't. It's got to come as a direction from councillors."
Former Edinburgh West Lib Dem MP John Barrett, who also served as a councilor, and was on the community council when the Corstorphine Fair was launched in 1986, said the problem had been the same when he was in office.
He said: “Council requirements are placing growing pressure on community fairs. The growing complexity and the costs involved in running traditional community fairs is making increasingly difficult for them to continue. Every year the council moves the goal posts and makes it harder and harder and harder.
“When I was a councillor I said we should have a simple system for allowing these community events to take place. It’s clear the council is just milking these events to the point that they will spoil them.”
A council spokesperson said: “The council acknowledges the importance of events like community gala days to bringing local people together, and as such we work closely with organisers to enable them to go ahead safely, ensuring the public can enjoy participating.
“It is essential that such well-attended events are managed in terms of health and safety, and the council is liaising with Corstorphine Gala’s organisers to make sure the appropriate licenses are applied for.
“There are significant discounts in place to support local groups to stage events such as these, and we are currently in dialogue with the organisers in order to resolve any concerns.”