Independent candidate Bob Shields blasted South Ayrshire Council for ‘failing’ the area when it ripped up a £250,000 contract supporting the Scottish International Airshow.
The airshow had run from 2014 until 2019 but the council pulled the plug after claiming they had handed out £80,000 to the airshow ‘in error’ in 2019.
Its claim that the organisers had breached terms of their agreement was disputed by the organisers, who later insisted that the return of the event to Ayr was down to the council.
All six Ayr West candidates were asked about the event's potential return at a hustings in Ayr's Horizon Hotel last Thursday – all of them backed the move with differing levels of confidence – ahead of Thursday's local council elections.
Sitting Conservative councillor Derek McCabe said: “We would be in favour of reinstating the airshow, but that does not happen overnight, tomorrow or even this year.”
He said that the details were limited, but suggested that the ‘professionals’ would deal with the ‘air side’ of things while the council would organise its own investment for the event gathering itself.
“It is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Ayr and South Ayrshire,” he said.
Labour candidate John Duncan said that there was a consensus ‘breaking out’.
“I would absolutely support the airshow returning," he said, "I would like to see from officers a business case showing the level of return on investment from the council. It would be a great thing for town. The airshow brings thousands of people into the town, so if we can, let’s do it."
The Scottish Family Party’s Gordon Bryce was unaware of the financial issues with the event and asked for clarification. While some of the audience incorrectly blamed Covid, the ‘financial disagreement’ was pointed out to which Mr Bryce simply said: “We have to do much better than we are doing.”
SNP candidate George Weir agreed with the return of the event – and said he believed he could have some sway.
He said: “I would echo my colleagues. I think it is a great asset and I think we lost something quite valuable so I would very much like to have it return.
“I am not in a position to know how to go about that at present. Between you and me, I have been told the man who owns airshow is an SNP member and I will certainly lobby for that.”
Liberal Democrat Jamie Ross also backed the move adding: “The airshow brought a lot of business and got a lot of people down from Glasgow spending money in the town.”
Journalist and landlord, Mr Shields, was the last to join the consensus view but was the most vociferous in his view of the local authority's role.
He said: “The thing about the financial disagreement is this is what we have councils for – to sort out financial disagreements.
“The council failed in this case and their failure cost Ayrshire and the west of Scotland the biggest outside event in the whole country.
“They should hang their heads in shame for not fixing it at the time and keep the airshow going.”
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