Edinburgh council has approved spending on lavish parties.
A SCOTS city is lavishing more than 50,000 on
“yacht parties’ in some of the world’s most glamorous locations, it emerged today (Wed).
Edinburgh council has approved the money to pay for events in New York, San Francisco, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro aimed at encouraging 18-35-year-olds to visit the city.
The city is entering the 2012 Clipper round-the-world yacht race after a mystery benefactor came up with 1m to help a team of transplant patients take place.
Edinburgh’s economic development committee has now approved 55,000 of taxpayers’ cash to stage parties in the key ports during the race.
It is hoped the
“port activation parties’ will help encourage youngsters from the US, South Africa and other countries to travel to Edinburgh.
But the move has been condemned by Labour, who tried and failed to get the move overturned.
One senior Labour councillor said the city should be doing more for its own young people.
Norma Hart said:
“Never mind the teenagers of Sydney, San Francisco or New York, what about teenagers in Edinburgh who are not going to have a summer programme? “
Councillor Hart said a a youth centre in the city’s Gracemount area had been forced to close for the want of 15,000.
Tom Buchanan, the head of the committee, rejected the complaints as
“very short-sighted.”
“The Clipper venture presents a fantastic and cost-effective opportunity to market Edinburgh,’ he said.
