Taylor Swift’s three record-breaking Edinburgh shows cost taxpayers almost £40k after the council had to pay for extra toilets and security, it has been revealed.
The pop icon’s Eras Tour landed in the capital this summer to play Scotland’s biggest ever stadium concerts – but one city councillor is less than impressed after probing how much the local authority spent on ensuring the event ran smoothly.
The Greens’ Dan Heap said: “Multi-million pound organisations arranging concerts for billionaire entertainers should be footing their own costs.”
He requested figures on any costs incurred and found the council spent: £16,934 on security measures; £3,650 on lighting; £2,985 on temporary toilets; £678 on ‘radios’; £642 on CCTV; £400 on signage; and £1,434.36 on ‘intelligent traffic signals’.
Council staff also worked 1,044 hours of overtime, which based on the real living wage amounts to at least £12,528.
Taken altogether it adds up to £39,251.36.
Organisers did however foot a £21,913 bill for additional waste and cleansing, while Scottish Rugby, which hosted the concerts at Murrayfield, met some other costs.
Cllr Heap said: “For the Council to be providing free services worth almost £40k when services are being cut is outrageous.”
He said a new council policy on recouping costs from event organisers comes into force in October “and could not come a moment too soon”.
He added: “They may wish to reconsider now that millionaires and billionaires are walking away with, effectively, £40k of free public cash in their pockets.
“With Oasis coming to Edinburgh next year, we need to ensure that the city is fairly compensated for the costs it incurs helping to make these events a success.”
Edinburgh Council and representatives for Taylor Swift were contacted for comment.
By Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
