Ayr International Air Show toilet spend increases from £16,000 to £87,000

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Labour group leader councillor Duncan Townson has questioned the sustainability of Ayr’s International Air Show after a warning of a huge overspend.Jane Bradley, South Ayrshire Council’s Director of Strategic Change and Communities, said that costs had risen in certain areas, citing a rise in toilet provision, following feedback from the public, from £16,000 in 2023 to £87,000 this year.She added that officers had revised a projected £400,000 overspend down to £240,000.

In a question at the final South Ayrshire Council meeting of the year, Cllr Townson asked: “The International Ayr Show – Festival of Flight 2024 was a huge success in terms of numbers of people visiting from outwith the local authority, where we saw huge numbers travelling by car, rail and bus, seeing what must have been a boost to regional transport footfall numbers. “With such a successful event for the council, with its ability to draw people in from across the country and beyond, this question is looking at the sustainability of the Ayr Show, and the numbers that help support this as an ongoing feature on the annual calendar of events. “Therefore, what were the financial benefits to local businesses and local economy, like for like, in 2024 compared to last year (2023) the first year of the Ayr Show and the year before (2022) when the Ayr Show was not in operation?

The officer’s response stated: “An economic impact assessment is currently underway which will demonstrate the financial benefits to local businesses.“The economic impact assessment for the 2023 air show will also be presented to the Service and Performance Panel in January.”He also asked whether the budget set for the show would need to be revised to take into account the data from the