City chief vetoes call on licensing process

A COUNCIL director has ruled that no action is needed to speed up the licensing process for outdoor events - despite one firm being granted a licence after the event was due to start.

The Evening News reported in August that Niddrie-based showman John James Evans only got approval for his 12-day funfair during the festival period hours after the funfair was due to start operating.

That led to councillors calling for a full report on the process for agreeing licences for events, with a view to "ensuring that licences for events were agreed in good time".

But in his report, Jim Inch, director of corporate services, said the council had done all it could to inform event organisers.

He said: "Ultimately, the onus is on event organisers to ensure they obtain the necessary licences sufficiently early to ensure they will be in place in good time for their event to take place."