£590k of council reserves set to prop up air show

Councillors vote for safety net despite concerns

- KEVIN DYSON

Councillors have agreed to allow up to £590,000 in South Ayrshire Council's cash reserves to ensure September's International Ayr Show goes ahead.

That means that the council can draw down up to that amount from council reserves should the current budget, plus income from the show, fail to cover the cost of running the event.

Officials said that it is highly unlikely to need the full amount, but the commitment still represents up to double the current £595k budget, with the cost of 2024's show at £1.18m.

After calculating the income from the 2024 event, the shortfall ended up at £227k.

An economic impact study put visitor spend at £7.9 million, with the level of Gross Value Added impact calculated at £2.9m. This is essentially the amount of additional wages and business profits kept in South Ayrshire.

Around 80 per cent of accommodation providers reporting increased takings and 44 per cent of food and drink outlets seeing an increase.

However, just 33 per cent of businesses recorded higher takings.

Around a quarter reported a heavier footfall, largely in Ayr town centre.

And less than half (44 per cent) said that overall impact on the area was positive, leaving a majority who saw little or no upturn.

However, there were major concerns raised by both of the opposition parties around the sustainability of the event.

SNP group leader Julie Dettbarn said that her group could not back the move.