Culture minister: Festivals 'should be fulsome part' of visitor levy funding

The festivals “should be a fulsome part” of any visitor levy funding distribution, culture minister Màiri McAllan has said - but insisted she would not “encroach” on the council’s decision making.

Her comments come as Edinburgh Council is due to hold an emergency meeting of its culture committee on Friday.

Council papers released ahead of the meeting show plans to use visitor levy funding to increase money allocated to festivals by 11.5 per cent, up from the original proposals of five per cent, however the festivals have branded the move “inadequate”.

In an interview with The Scotsman, Ms McAllan said she was “glad” the discussion over festivals visitor levy funding was happening within the council.

She said: “I know that the festivals have been making robust deputations on it, quite rightly. My view is that it’s just obvious that the festivals are such a core part of the tourism economy in Edinburgh that anyone can see that they should be a fulsome part of benefiting from it.

“However, it does come back to me having to be clear that it is an Edinburgh Council decision to make and I’ll be watching closely how the decision plays out.

Màiri McAllan said she would not “encroach” on Edinburgh Council visitor levy fundign decisions.

“My interest is just to make sure that the leaders of the festival are able to be part of that discussion.

She added: “I don’t mind being clear that it’s obvious to any observer that the festivals are a huge part of Edinburgh’s tourism.

“But [stepping in to give an opinion] would be me encroaching on council decision making and the whole point of devolving power like that to councils is that they’re able to make place-appropriate decisions on it. I can’t and I wouldn’t encroach on local government’s decision making.”

A previously scheduled meeting saw the visitor levy discussion taken off the agenda at the last minute - when Edinburgh Festival Fringe chief executive Tony Lankester and Edinburgh International Book Festival director Jenny Niven were already in the council building.