A Perth councillor has claimed controversy surrounding last month’s Christmas market in the city could have been avoided with better dialogue.
Ahead of a debrief meeting next month, Councillor Archie MacLellan claimed residents had dubbed the market the “High Street sheds” and complained the concept had not worked.
While welcoming other parts of the city’s Winter Festival, Mr MacLellan said the market had not met expectations.
“Perth has been a vibrant and happy city, as reflected in the comments made to us by many constituents,” he said.
“Nonetheless, there has been one aspect which has fallen short of expectations and that is what people are referring to as the ‘High Street Sheds’.
“There is little doubt that this was an initiative that did not work and the four city centre councillors are meeting with officers on February 4 to look at the whole programme.
“It is a pity that this meeting had not taken place before the start of the programme, when the local members could, and would, have highlighted the potential effect on city centre residents, the siting of the sheds, access for emergency and delivery vehicles and so on.
“Mistakes do happen by organisations and individuals but it is important to ensure that they are not repeated and, as a first step, proper and full consultation with the relevant councillors must be part of the process.
“The Labour group will continue to represent the people of Perth and Kinross to the best of its ability but there are times when quiet negotiations prove more fruitful than mere press comments.”
A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council said they could not comment on Mr MacLellan’s comments, as they are “political”.
However, the local authority has previously defended the organisation of Perth Christmas Market.
A council spokesman previously said that council officers kept local businesses informed about the market and had “engaged” with the market operator and local businesses to agree a revised layout for it when concerns were raised about the location of a marquee.
However, the authority has committed to reviewing the event to identify where improvements could be made.
Paul Leonard, of market operators Cottage Industries Association, previously criticised the council’s management and vowed never to return to the Fair City.
He claimed he was considering legal action over a loss of income incurred during the period.
Mr Leonard said the Christmas Market had “crucified” him and claimed that he had lost “thousands” of pounds through the event, which he dubbed a “disaster”.