REACTION: Croy firm asks how will Highland Council restore public faith in bouncy castle safety after short-lived ban?
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Highland Council’s dramatic about-turn on banning bouncy castles drew a cool response from the firm that first highlighted the decision.
Croy-based Mascot Madness immediately lost over £2000 in cancelled bookings from local primary schools after the council introduced a new rule banning use of inflatables at over 200 schools and other premises in the Highlands.
BREAKING: Highland Council U-turn on bouncy castle ban after councillors intervene
The couple behind the firm are relieved that common sense has prevailed after the Courier first highlighted their plight last week.
But mum-of-three Danielle Stewart, who built up Mascot Madness Entertainment with husband Alasdair over a period of 12 years, raised concerns over how safety criteria for firms would be policed by council staff.
Mrs Stewart also fears the council’s short-lived ban on bouncy castles could have caused reputational damage and impact future business for the firm by generating unjustified safety concerns among parents, parent councils and other organisations.
She also feels her family firm should be compensated by the council after losing over £2000 in school event bookings through no fault of their own.
“Now that they have kicked up enough of a fuss about this, with all the work and income we’ve lost, why can’t we have an approved supplier list for council events, to ensure it is done correctly?”, Mrs Stewart, of Marybank, Croy, said.
“It is all very well them issuing guidance saying that we should be insured and following all the relevant guidance, but it looks to me like they are just going back to how things were done before.
“In 2019, they issued an inflatables check-list, but nobody actually policed it. It was literally a check-list where you could just tick a box.
“Now that they have opened this can of worms, we want to know how they are going to ensure all contractors at school events actually meet all the requirements.
“How do they police it?
“We would like to know who is going to take responsibility and check if all the requirements for safety are adhered to by every firm?
“I believe they need to create an approved list of suppliers with checks done yearly or six-monthly to make sure the contractors are not just ticking boxes and saying they fulfil this or that criteria.
“They wouldn’t let an unqualified electrician in to fix school wiring, so why would they let any old bouncy castle company in?”
Mrs Stewart feels it is crucial now that Highland Council makes an effort to publicise the fact that bouncy castles are no longer banned and are safe when reputable companies are used.
“How many people are now going to be wary of booking a bouncy castle because of how this was handled?,” she said.
“How many people will still think they are banned? On top of the money we’ve already lost out on, we are still probably going to continue to lose out on bookings because of the detrimental effect the short-lived ban has had.”
