Council chiefs hope to reclaim nearly £115,000 after its Christmas light switch-on was cancelled.
Last year’s event was scheduled for the weekend of November 23 and 24.
But it was axed over fears about the impact of Storm Bert.
Despite the cancellation, a total of £114,941,51 was spent on activities for last year’s showcase.
Perth and Kinross Council has confirmed it has submitted a claim to recoup the costs.
Cascada unable to perform in Perth due to event cancellation
German dance trio Cascada were set to take to the main stage on Tay Street, while a firework and pyrotechnics display was also scheduled.
Entertainment was planned in George Street, St John Street, High Street, Mill Street
and St Paul’s Church.
A lantern parade was also expected to take place that weekend.
At the time the local authority said it had been monitoring the weather and consulting with suppliers.
A briefing note issued to councillors on November 22 said: “A number of parade participants have already indicated their withdrawal, and without the main stage or the fireworks display there would be no culmination to the parade.”
A decision was made to cancel the event over travel and structural concerns.
A briefing note the following day, which would have been the first day of the event, said: “There is no major disruption to report at this time.”
It added, however, that snow had “caused some issues on roads across the area during the morning.”
While it has been a staple of the city centre celebrations no plans were made to reschedule in the run-up to Christmas.
It was stated at the time the costs and timescales prohibited an alternative date being available.
The Christmas cabins and Santa Grotto remained in place and went ahead during the festive period.
£630k spent on four full Christmas lights switch-on events
The council’s near-£115,000 outlay for the event was revealed in a response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from The Courier.
This six-figure sum was less than the council’s spend in each of the previous three events unaffected by Covid.
The FOI breakdown is below:
- 2019 – £219,802
- 2020 – £0 – no events due to Covid
- 2021 – £102,950 – limited events due to Covid
- 2022 – £168,748
- 2023 – £126,092
A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross Council confirmed it had now submitted a claim.
She said: “The Christmas Lights Switch-On 2024 event was insured and the council has submitted a claim regarding its cancellation as a result of weather conditions.”
Elsewhere, a waste firm has revealed its £6m investment after a fire on its site closed Perth’s Friarton Bridge.
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