Airshow future funding in doubt

Doubts have been raised over the future funding of a popular Devon air show.

Torbay's English Riviera Airshow attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators over the weekend, but the leader of Torbay Council has warned that the £250,000 cost of the show could be too much for the council in coming years.

David Thomas said the "billion-dollar question" was: "Is the event here to stay?"

"It has cost £250,000, and clearly with where we are at the moment we have to ask it," he said.

Mr Thomas told the Local Democracy Reporting Service evaluation work would be done in the next month.

“We need to know where we are financially," he said.

“If we can put it on again – great. But I think if we can’t put it on, we have to find another event we can produce that maybe isn’t quite as expensive, but still has that big impact.”

Mr Thomas, who re-took the reins as leader after the Conservatives won control of the council in May's elections, said: “My heart says why would we not put this on when you see the people here, and you see the buzz and the vibe in the town?

“But then the head says that £250,000 is an awful lot of money.”

The show has run yearly since it began in 2016, apart from a two-year break for the pandemic.

The 2023 event delivered two days of displays centred on Paignton seafront, ranging from freefall parachutists and vintage warplanes to aerobatic teams including the RAF Red Arrows, which appeared on both days.

It is organised by the council with the support of "key events partner" the English Riviera BID Company and a number of commercial sponsors.

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