Swanky banquet is off the menu for the Lord Provost

A GALA dinner billed as Edinburgh's answer to the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London has been axed for a second successive year because of concerns about how much it would cost.

In 2009, the Lord Provost's Banquet had a guest list that included former Irish premier Bertie Ahern and author Ian Rankin, but this year's event did not go ahead.

Now Council leader Jenny Dawe has confirmed that it will not take place in 2011 either.

Councillor Dawe said: "The economic circumstances - which were difficult even then - have worsened and reluctantly I have decided that we should not aim to repeat the banquet this year, despite the benefits it brought.

"I think it may be considered by some to be insensitive to hold a banquet at this time.

"We are rightly focussed on meeting the serious financial challenges we face, including taking account of the views of people throughout the city, and would not want anything to be seen to detract from this."