Dundee Flower and Food Festival must go on


I want the City Council to renew its commitment to the Flower and Food Festival this year's appears to have been a great success and I hope that it will go from strength to strength. I know that the City Council will be making cuts but we need to consider the whole picture before cutting the Flower and Food Festival.



Firstly I want to thank everyone who made this year's Flower and Food Festival a success, especially those council employees who go above and beyond the call of duty to make the event a success and the many voluntary organisations who make great efforts to be at the show.



I was shocked to hear on Friday that the City Council was having doubts about the future of the show, this was the first I had heard of this. I am pleased that there appears to have been a U-turn and that the future of the festival appears to be safe. This festival puts Dundee's name on the map and attracts many visitors to the city. I am glad that there has been a recognition that when analysing the festival that we must look at its total impact, economic and social, and not just on the balance sheet of the festival.



I will be seeking an urgent briefing from Merrill Smith the Director of the Dundee Flower and Food Festival to get an up to date picture of where we go from here. I hope that the festival goes on from strength to strength. The Labour Group on the City Council will certainly oppose any attempts by the City Council's Administration to close the festival.