The threat comes from plans by Highland Council to hike up the cost of a public entertainment licence — in some cases by nearly eight times — following a review of all licence fees.

The local authority currently charges £1236 for a public entertainment licence for outdoor events which attract more than 10,000 people, but is failing to cover its costs and last year posted a £33,788 shortfall.

It is now proposing to introduce new categories for large commercial events which attract crowds of between 10,000 and 30,000 people.

Under the new regime the organisers of any event attracting between 10,000 and 20,000 people, like Belladrum, would have to pay £5570 for a licence.

Bigger events, between 20,000 and 30,000 people, would be charged £7670 and major events with more than 30,000 people, such as Rockness, face paying a fee of £9768 for the licence.

The idea has outraged Robert Hicks, who is co-promoter of Belladrum and a director of RockNess. He says such an increase would raise serious questions about the future of the events and worries the cost will end up falling on festival goers.

"There has been a price increase already and now this," he said.

"They are looking to quadruple the cost, it is absolutely ludicrous.

"If we get hit with rising costs like this ultimately it has to get passed on to the festival goer through price increases. It questions the viability of these events."

One couple who will not forget the Tartan Heart Festival at the weekend were Aileen Forest and David Knox who became the first couple to be married at the Belladrum event. Bobby Nelson

This weekend's Belladrum festival sold out for the first time, attracting a bumper crowd of 12,000 revellers.

Mr Hicks says this and other large outdoor events such as the Highland Field Sport Fair at Moy, which also attracted crowds this weekend in excess of 10,000, bring people into Inverness and help boost the economy.

He is hoping festivals will not be seen as a soft target under the new pricing regime and is urging for common sense to prevail when councillors come to consider the proposed fees at Thursday's meeting of the transport, environmental and community services committee.

Mike Elsey, the council's licensing officer, insists the new fees are required to help the authority cover its costs.

Between Belladrum and RockNess alone he estimates that officers have spent around 700 hours dealing with issues relating to health and safety, traffic management, stewarding and media-related matters.

The administration, regulation and enforcement of all licences issued by the council per annum amounts to around £84,094, with Belladrum and RockNess accounting for £14,000 of the overall costs.

If the new tarrifs are agreed they would come into effect in October this year.

l.mccann@inverness-courier.co.uk

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