Edinburgh Council is at risk of repeating the same mistakes that nearly resulted in the Christmas market being cancelled last year, councillors have warned, after it emerged there could be even less time to find an organiser for this winter.
Plans for the city centre festive village were thrown into chaos in September with the firm awarded the contract walking away from its £5.5m deal with the council over disagreements about the feasibility of proposed attractions – including a zip wire along George Street.
Another company was brought in at the eleventh-hour to save the market, but the fiasco sparked criticism of the contract tendering process used by the local authority and a debate around how events can be better scrutinised and delivered in the future.
