The future of the final Aberdeen International Youth Festival has been thrown into doubt after it emerged the council has not handed over its last chunk of funding.
Aberdeen City Council voted in December to end the event’s annual funding of £150,000 and back the Year of Young People programme instead, which will create a new pot of around £100,000 for youth organisations.
However, it had been expected that there would be one final hurrah for the festival – with performers from around the world already preparing to descend on the north-east to showcase their vocal, theatrical and dance talents.
Half the funding has already been paid out to cover the costs, but last night it emerged the final allowance is still being held by the council due to a legal technicality.
It means that organisers of the festival have been unable to start planning for this year’s spectacle.
It is understood Aberdeen City Council is unable to pay out the final grant, worth around £64,500, because there are not enough councillors on the AIYF board of trustees.
Three administration councillors – Sarah Duncan, Claire Imrie and Alan Donnelly – chose to step down from the AIYF board in order to take part in council debate before voting in favour of cutting the funding.
Len Ironside, a former chairman of the festival board and a former city council leader, said: “Because they can’t get board members on it from the council, the chief executive (of the festival) doesn’t have the ability to spend any money, so he’s trapped by this situation and it will kill the festival.
“The important thing to remember is there are youth groups from across the world who have paid out money already to come to Aberdeen, and they’ll be expecting accommodation – but the money is now tied up, so they won’t be able to get it.
“It’s going to reflect really badly on the city.”
Alex Nicoll, the opposition SNP group’s finance spokesman, said: “It’s hugely disappointing that we could be on the brink of losing one of our city’s biggest cultural offerings.
“With directors being personally liable for any debts, I can’t see many councillors being willing to take on that risk now that the administration have taken away their funding.”
A spokesman for the Aberdeen Labour group said: “It would appear the grants cannot be made because an insufficient number of elected members currently sit on the board.
“Given the SNP’s very public support for the continuation of the AIYF, we would have expected SNP councillors to step up to the plate by joining the board.
“We therefore call on the SNP to do that in order to save the festival.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: “Funding is subject to criteria and is under review.”
