Festival's plea to city council

Edinburgh Fringe bosses have urged the city council to slash the cost of licencing venues for the festival.

It currently costs at least £874 for even the smallest venue to obtain a temporary public entertainment licence for August.

The fee is - the most expensive in Britain, prompting Fringe chief executive Kath Mainland to brand it ‘unfavourable’ and likely to deter venues from taking risks.

Her call came as the council rubber-stamped a proposal to exempt venues that do not charge an admission fee from the charge.

In a letter to the local authority, reported in The Scotsman, Mainland said: ‘Unfavourable licence fees could prevent newcomers from establishing themselves as venue operators and could drive established operators to present only those shows which are likely to generate substantial ticket sales as opposed to more challenging and untested work.’ .

A spokeswoman for the city council said that licensing was currently under review. .

Most shows at the Fringe lose money, with venue costs being a significant factor.

Published: 4 May 2013