Ratho arena's cash troubles hit new high

Published on 01/10/2008 09:49

THE troubled international climbing arena at Ratho has fallen further into financial difficulty, new figures revealed today.

The council-owned centre, recently described as reaching "crisis point", is running 98,000 adrift of this year's target, and has required a net subsidy of 323,000 in just the first five months of the year.

Board papers published by Edinburgh Leisure, which runs the arena, also reveal that total income is 63,000 – or ten per cent – behind target.

It went into receivership in 2004 before the council was forced to step in. It was then forced to close for a 6 million overhaul.

But it ran up nearly a 1m deficit last year, and is not forecast to make a profit for some time.