Cabinet Recommendation to Council:

(i)         that the Council be recommended that the Torbay Airshow 2020 (6 and 7 June) be supported and a revenue contribution of £25,000 towards the Airshow be approved;

Cabinet Decisions:

(ii)        that the Interim Director of Place be requested to work with Richmond Event Management along with the Commercial and Marketing Group, to engage with potential sponsors for the 2020 Torbay Airshow at the earliest opportunity;

(iii)       that the renaming of the Torbay Airshow to the ‘English Riviera Airshow’, be approved subject to the Interim Director of Place negotiating an appropriate level of sponsorship;

(iv)       that the Interim Director of Place and Chief Finance Officer be requested to negotiate a risk share arrangement that would see the Council and TDA share the burden of any unforeseen budget overspend, should the air show event not reach a break even position; and

(v)        that the Interim Director of Place be instructed to explore a range of options to offset the carbon dioxide produced by the air show and one such measure, which could also help to tackle fuel poverty, should include a higher standard of wall and roof insulation for new affordable homes commissioned by the Council.

To continue to make Torbay Airshow an annual event will generate a potential substantial boost for Torbay’s economy.  The event is now established as one of the best coastal air shows in the country.  The proposal will commit the Council to delivering the air show in 2020 and enable officers, REM and TDA at an early stage to engage with sponsors and other stakeholders ahead of their annual budget setting and enable early promotion/development of wider stakeholder business ideas to capitalise on the event for next year.

In recognition of the carbon footprint generated by the Airshow, the decision addresses the issue by exploring options to offset the carbon dioxide produced at the event through other Council activity.

Alternative options were set out in the submitted report.

The Cabinet recommendation in (i) will be considered at the Council meeting on 18 July 2019.

The decisions in (ii) to (v) will come into force and may be implemented on Monday, 22 July 2019 unless the call-in procedure is triggered (as set out in the Standing Orders in relation to Overview and Scrutiny).

The submitted report provided a summary of the outcomes of the Torbay Airshow 2019 which took place on 1 and 2 June 2019 and sought a decision to support the Airshow again in 2020.

The Torbay Airshow helps position Torbay and the English Riviera as a destination of choice to a growing national and international audience.  It also supports the local economy by boosting tourism and providing an incredible opportunity for local businesses and other organisations to showcase themselves through their involvement in the event.  Furthermore the event allows the Council to build its commercial relationships with local businesses.  This year the headline partners and official partners were all local businesses recognising the benefits of being involved with a signature event.

The new TDA Commercial and Marketing Group have indicated that an early decision by the Council to stage an Airshow in 2020 would allow additional sponsorship to be raised.  This year they raised an additional £38,000 but this work only really started in January and many companies had already spent or committed their annual sponsorship budget. If discussions can commence with potential sponsors at an early stage (i.e. in July 2019), they are confident that the level of additional sponsorship can be raised by another £40,000 for 2020. 

Discussions with the English Riviera BID Company (ERBID) have indicated that they would increase their level of sponsorship if the event was rebranded as the “English Riviera Airshow”.

Continuing to make the Torbay Airshow an annual event generates the potential for a substantial boost to Torbay’s economy by attracting new and repeat visitors and inward investment.  This year it is estimated that the local economic benefit exceeded £7 million and this will grow over the next few years.

The submitted report also detailed the impact an air show event has on the environment and acknowledged that the new Cabinet have indicated that they wish to work towards ‘A Climate Fit for the Future’. Therefore, the report proposed that further work is undertaken to explore a range of options to offset the carbon dioxide produced by the air show.

At the Cabinet meeting on 9 July 2019, Councillor Morey proposed and Councillor Law seconded a motion which was agreed by the Cabinet (unanimously) as set out above.

Councillor David Thomas declared a pecuniary interest and withdrew from the Cabinet meeting prior to this item being discussed.