The volunteers behind the Corstorphine Fair have led the way in lodging a petition with The Scottish Government to air their concerns about licensing costs making Scottish fairs and gala days unsustainable.
Earlier in the year, Corstorphine Fair warned that their own event – and others like it – are under threat due to the rise in such costs.
Ewan Irvine, who is a volunteer organiser, outlined the costs incurred for this year’s event as follows:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Public Liability Insurance | £900 |
| Lease of St Margaret’s Park (City of Edinburgh Council) | £800 |
| Market Operator Licence | £600 |
| Public Entertainment Licence | £400 |
| Stage Licence | £100 |
| Infrastructure (marquees, staging, power, toilets, fencing, etc.) | £15,000 |
| Sub-total (confirmed) | £17,800 |
The threat to Corstorphine Fair with rising costs was so great that they set up a public fundraiser – but with a target of £1,800 they only raised £1,349.
In the petition which Mr Irvine lodged with The Scottish Government he highlighted the inconsistencies in licensing requirements and the administrative burden on volunteer run events all over Scotland.
He explained that the fairs and gala days in Scotland form an important part of community life but the financial burden is great and includes reinstatement bonds and extensive compliance documentation. He believes that the need for public safety is appropriate, but there is no proportionality in the demands on events run for community benefit.
On Thursday members of the Public Petitions Committee, under Convener Paul Sweeney, MSP, considered the terms of the petition with committee members supporting getting rid of the unnecessary bureaucracy, and committing to looking at ways to produce national guidance.
While the committee recognised that all the licensing regime is in the control of the local authorities, they convened a Task Force on Civic Licensing last year to review the range of licensing provisions of the 1982 Act. It confirmed in its written answer that it will produce a report in due course. This includes public entertainment licences.
Committee members were guided by The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICE) briefing which explained that community events and gala days can require a range of licences such as public entertainment, street traders, and food-related licences, all of which are granted by the local authority.
The briefing outlined: “The Gala Day Event Guide published by the City of Edinburgh Council gives an idea of the licensing requirements placed on events organisers in Edinburgh. Of course, the situation may be different for events organisers in other local authority areas.”
But Mr Irvine responded that volunteer committees need to know in advance what they have to do when putting on such an event and what the costs are. He said there remained a need for a “clear, consistent and proportionate” framework for community run events. He also said that “national guidance would not necessarily remove local authority discretion”.
The Scottish Government in their response had said it was not considered appropriate for it to interfere in any specific issues relating to locally made licensing decisions.
Committee member Marie McNair, MSP, said she knew of an issue in her own constituency of Clydebank. She said that it is important to encourage people “to put the gala days together and remove any unnecessary bureaucracy that exists”.
Petition PE2228 reads: “Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review the increasing licensing, regulatory and financial burdens placed on volunteer-run community fairs and gala days across Scotland.”
The Committee “agreed to write to The Scottish Government to seek clarification on the work of the Task Force on Civic Licensing, and to COSLA and the Scottish Showmen’s Guild to seek their views on the petition”.
The petition currently has 710 signatures.
