Council set to review spending on Torbay airshow

This year the airshow attracted 36,000 people on the Saturday and 29,000 on the Sunday

Torbay’s annual airshow could be cut to a single day, as the council looks at ways of saving money on the event.

But a report, written by Torbay Council officers ahead of a meeting of the overview and scrutiny board on Tuesday, pointed out that the £195,000 the council put into the two-day show this year returned £15 to the local economy for every pound spent.

At the meeting, the council is set to consider four options, from subsidising a one-day show, outsourcing the organisation to an outside contractor, switching the funds into something else while someone else pays for the airshow, or cancelling the event altogether.

The airshow has been a two-day event since it started in 2016, with the Red Arrows topping the bill on both days every time.

This year's airshow was financed through a mix of income from traders and concessions, private sector sponsorship, contributions from the English Riviera BID company and funds from Torbay Council.

The report on the English Riviera airshow revealed the council contributed £195,000 towards the total airshow cost of £305,000.

It was commissioned by Torbay Council after this year's airshow in June, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The report said the airshow was intended to become financially sustainable, with little or no financial contribution from Torbay Council required, by 2020.

"This has clearly been harder to achieve than anticipated," it said.

The report said the costs of the airshow in 2023 had risen "more than anticipated", in line with the general increase in cost of living.

'Very healthy return'

If the cabinet decides the council should continue to own and deliver the airshow, the report called for more contributions from the private sector and the public through donations and crowdfunding.

Costs could also be reduced, said the report, by cutting the event down to one day and reducing the number of aircraft, with a focus on those which cost less.

The report said the event space could also be reduced to save money on road closures and stewards.

It added Torbay Council’s airshow investment produced a “very healthy return” of £15.56 for every pound invested.

The 2023 show brought £3.5m in spending into the bay, of which £1.8m would not have been spent without the airshow.