David Tutt's grasp of economics seems to diminish week by week. His latest announcement of an enquiry is not required. As He was quoted earlier this week saying that it was down to visitors not value airbourne enough to pay a fiver. (insulting your customers is never good economic sense)

The economics of a seaside town are the local council make money for the value of the hotels expressed in the business rate. In exchange for an environment people want to visit coupled with attractions that many people want to enjoy, a premium is chargeable on the rooms for busy periods. this pushes up the rateable value of the hotel.

Local government have about as much control over local funding as Gordon Brown has over the national economy, they are both a small part of a much larger economy that controls them. Raising the cost of the air show from the local tax payer in it's entirety is not allowed for in government calculation and is a false threat by David Tutt.

Charging visitors and stallholders via an expensive fence was never going to work as I believe the council where told prior to the event and chose to ignore.


the whole thing felt like a Millennium Dome rerun. With Heseltine's project having seen to be being "improved" by the incoming politicians, caused massive cost over runs, for example; the dome roof had to be supplied by a new company so the labour party could be seen to have made changes. the out come was paying both the original supplier and the new supplier for the roof, from the public purse.

It is the case that council shouldn't burden the cost alone, it should however go back to seeking commercial sponsorship with a subsidy, allow the original team to run it and get back doing what they where elected for. For their to be any vestige of faith in the running of Eastbourne Borough council, we need to see the resignations of councillors who sat on the committees that approved this ludicrous and damned plan.

The council gambled with the r

Cllr Tuft really needs to think again. As a visitor to Airbourne for some years, I was astonished by the number of entirely unnecessary, 'security staff' and other jobsworths swaggering around at this year's event.

Whether they were there to man Cllr Tuft's barricades, or had been imported on the instructions of the ubiquitous 'health and safety' gauleiters, I can't say - but I do know they were not cheap and must have considerably inflated the event's costs.

Finally, to add to an earlier comment - it didn't cost just £5 to attend Airbourne this year. If you drive, as many do, you are charged to park your car and then face a £2 bus fare each way. For a family, particularly if you buy meals and souvenirs, that makes Airbourne quite an expensive day out.

The answer of the Airbourne problem has to lie in sponsorship and proper commercial exploitation of the event - not a botched, bureaucratic compromise that failed in every respect.

The park and ride was a complete joke. £2 per car, £2 per person each way, so a family of four unfamiliar with the area could make the mistake of spending nearly £20 on just parking. Add to that another £20 to get in, and any food or games they wish to spend money on and you're right, a massively expensive day out.

David Tutts opinion that local tax payers do not want to pay for the air display either through entry fee or through the council tax,is at best naive and worst downright ignorant.
I for one do not have a problem paying once,but this way local residents are expected to pay twice.
He should show a little backbone and admit he messed up instead of trying to blame everyone else.