Weston Air Show
Discussion
The Brummie said:
Is gone. Canned.
Local council have withdrawn the funding so the 2023 show is scrapped.
Bugger.
Same with the Sunderland Airshow which was also funded by the local council. I suspect that in today's world local government feels it can't be associated with burning fuel for fun!Local council have withdrawn the funding so the 2023 show is scrapped.
Bugger.
gshughes said:
The Brummie said:
Is gone. Canned.
Local council have withdrawn the funding so the 2023 show is scrapped.
Bugger.
Same with the Sunderland Airshow which was also funded by the local council. I suspect that in today's world local government feels it can't be associated with burning fuel for fun!Local council have withdrawn the funding so the 2023 show is scrapped.
Bugger.
eccles said:
Are you sure it's not more likely to be something to do with a cost of living crisis and finding it hard to justify spending £135k on entertainment when many services are struggling?
That is exactly the reason. As annoying as it might be the Council gave said they cannot justify spending £135k in the current economic climate.Eastbourne Airborne has been under threat on funding grounds for some years. However it appears it now raises enough money to enable it to stick within the Councils budget.
However presumably displaying an aircraft only works if there are enough shows to display at. So if enough get cancelled the whole lot are at risk.
However presumably displaying an aircraft only works if there are enough shows to display at. So if enough get cancelled the whole lot are at risk.
The Brummie said:
eccles said:
Are you sure it's not more likely to be something to do with a cost of living crisis and finding it hard to justify spending £135k on entertainment when many services are struggling?
That is exactly the reason. As annoying as it might be the Council gave said they cannot justify spending £135k in the current economic climate.Shortsighted knee jerk decision by limilted council officials IMO.
Can't remember the amount, but it was rather large, that has recently been spent on putting wooden posts all round the beach lawns to keep the caravan club at bay. I'm sure that money could have been better spent promoting local tourism, especially as I expect the wooden posts will be used as firewood by the next invasion.
Edit. £150k !
https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/...
Edit. £150k !
https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/...
Edited by Red9zero on Monday 26th December 12:44
Galveston said:
surveyor said:
Given the number of people it attracts I'm astonished that it's not seen as an investment nor that they can't find a way to bring that money in with sponsorship/ticket sales etc.
Shortsighted knee jerk decision by limilted council officials IMO.
Limited?Shortsighted knee jerk decision by limilted council officials IMO.
They say they’ve explored additional sponsorship and income sources, but can’t make it stack up.
Problem is any taxes on additional revenue to local businesses doesn’t find its way back to the council, but to central government. Although the airshow’s a great thing to do, there’s no direct financial return on the council’s investment. When budgets are as tight as they are, when there’s huge pressure from increasing social care costs etc, it’s evidently impossible to justify spending a significant sum on something that’s only a nice-to-have.
Wooden posts on the lawns will be a capital investment, from grant funding, CIL or similar. Might seem mad but has no bearing on the day-to-day finances which is where the pressures are.
Galveston said:
Limited?
They say they’ve explored additional sponsorship and income sources, but can’t make it stack up.
Problem is any taxes on additional revenue to local businesses doesn’t find its way back to the council, but to central government. Although the airshow’s a great thing to do, there’s no direct financial return on the council’s investment. When budgets are as tight as they are, when there’s huge pressure from increasing social care costs etc, it’s evidently impossible to justify spending a significant sum on something that’s only a nice-to-have.
Wooden posts on the lawns will be a capital investment, from grant funding, CIL or similar. Might seem mad but has no bearing on the day-to-day finances which is where the pressures are.
And here lies the issue for the state of many public services, at local and national level.They say they’ve explored additional sponsorship and income sources, but can’t make it stack up.
Problem is any taxes on additional revenue to local businesses doesn’t find its way back to the council, but to central government. Although the airshow’s a great thing to do, there’s no direct financial return on the council’s investment. When budgets are as tight as they are, when there’s huge pressure from increasing social care costs etc, it’s evidently impossible to justify spending a significant sum on something that’s only a nice-to-have.
Wooden posts on the lawns will be a capital investment, from grant funding, CIL or similar. Might seem mad but has no bearing on the day-to-day finances which is where the pressures are.
Obviously the event is a net benefit to the town. However we've managed over the years to create such a crazy, cumbersome, bureaucratic system which actively prevents investment in 'no-brainer' schemes - let alone anything marginal or radical.
It's why renationalisation of railways, water etc won't work.
Anyway, I digress.
Chrisgr31 said:
Eastbourne Airborne has been under threat on funding grounds for some years. However it appears it now raises enough money to enable it to stick within the Councils budget.
However presumably displaying an aircraft only works if there are enough shows to display at. So if enough get cancelled the whole lot are at risk.
That last point is starting to have an impact already, combined with the post-Shoreham rules removing swept wing non-military jets from airshows meaning owners have sold up, plus the increasing environmental issues will all start to have an increasing effect on the already diminished airshow industry, given there is effectively no longer any RAF or USAFE base shows.However presumably displaying an aircraft only works if there are enough shows to display at. So if enough get cancelled the whole lot are at risk.
The loss of Flying Legends as well even before Covid struck and its all looking a bleak future. I had reduced down to just going to Legends as my last remaining airshow 'fix' and with that now gone, its an odd feeling to think I might not ever attend another one now.
surveyor said:
200,000 visitors. Extracting £1 per spectator does not seem like a massive target. Businesses must make a fortune from the additional visitors. Chuck it in a seafront BID?
I can well remember the last few years of the Lowestoft airshow. They were short of funding and put out publicity basically saying that if everyone who came put a £1 in the bucket the the shows future was secure. When the show was finished they had a fraction of the amount they needed, so the show folded.Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff