Edinburgh row rumbles on

The Scotsman newspaper says that council leaders could prevent Assembly and Underbelly – two of the players behind the new venture - renting their venues next year if their idea proves damaging.

Councillors are said to be concerned at the way the fledgling ‘festival-within-a-festival’ is being promoted at the expense of the wider Fringe, and how it might affect venues that host comedy but are not part of the consortium, such as The Stand.

One unnamed insider said: ‘The people running these venues should remember they are only leasing these buildings during the Fringe. It is not a given they will be allowed to return next year.’

The council has less say on what the other members of the ‘big four’ can do, since the Pleasance and Gilded Balloon rent their buildings from Edinburgh University. But the council could take a tougher stance on issues such as licensing.

Any move by the council to impose changes on the running of the Fringe would, however, be seen as controversial, as it makes little financial contribution to the festival, which generates millions for the city. Also Fringe organisers have not condemned the Comedy Festival, although privately they are thought to have major concerns about it.

Councillor Steve Cardownie said:’It's been suggested to me that the council could seek to influence who is granted a licence for a building during the Fringe, although I'm not saying that's definitely going to happen next year. We are concerned about anything that dilutes or damages the brand of the Fringe.’

William Burdett-Coutts, who runs Assembly, said: ‘It does seem as if everybody is doing their bit to stir things up at the moment. That is a real shame, as we are not doing this for malicious reasons. We are simply trying to make [the Fringe] a success and bring more people to the city.’

Burdett-Coutts is involved in a separate dispute with the council over a planned revamp of the main George Street building, which would rob him of several of his performance spaces.

Published: 19 Jun 2008