Question reference: S5W-31066
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 5 August 2020
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Current status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 September 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30524 by Jamie Hepburn on 31 July 2020, what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the support that can be offered to showpeople and funfair organisers, and whether these discussions included the consideration of reducing or temporarily suspending charges for funfairs.
Answer
We are in regular dialogue with local authorities regarding the impact of the pandemic. Support for showpeople and funfair organisers and the reduction or suspensions of charges for funfairs has not been an explicit part of these discussions. Separately, the Scottish Government has issued non-statutory guidance to licensing authorities in respect of how licensing applications for travelling funfairs should be considered sensitively, pragmatically and timeously where possible given the current situation.
We continue to engage with fairgrounds and showpeople and worked with them on our guidance, which enabled safe re-opening on 24 August.