GLASGOW is losing out by paying for marches and parades in the city's streets and parks while Edinburgh gets extra Government help.
Edinburgh gets £3.5m to help pay bills while Glasgow gets nothing
GLASGOW is losing out by paying for marches and parades in the city's streets and parks while Edinburgh gets extra Government help.
A call has now been made for the country's largest city to receive additional funding for hosting street events after it emerged Glasgow hosts twice the number of marches and parades held in the capital.
Parades are cited as the main reason by the Scottish Government for Edinburgh being given £3.5million in a Capital City Supplement last year.
Finance Secretary John Swinney revealed this in an Evening Times question and answer feature, citing unique factors such as marches, parades, ceremonial and royal visits.
Following the answer, Anniesland MSP Bill Butler asked the Government for a detailed breakdown of marches and parades throughout Scotland.
It revealed Glasgow hosted 357 parades, while Edinburgh had only 129.
Lothians Independent MSP Margo MacDonald secured the £3.5m Capital City Supplement for Edinburgh, before she agreed to vote for the last SNP Budget.
The Evening Times Ripped Off Glasgow campaign has questioned the justification for extra cash for the capital but not Scotland's largest city.
The extra cash is an echo of the museums funding, where the National Museums and Galleries in Edinburgh receive £41m in Government cash while Glasgow's collections get nothing.
Culture Minister Michael Russell convened a museums summit to look at the issue and a workling group is due to report later this year.
This month during our Ask The Cabinet initiative, when First Minister Alex Salmond brought his ministers to Glasgow, we asked if the city should also qualify for extra cash.
We asked: "Given it is the largest city and has the most social problems, should Glasgow not merit extra cash like Edinburgh's Capital City Supplement?"
Finance Secretary John Swinney replied: "The Capital City Supplement provided to the City of Edinburgh Council is in recognition of factors that are unique to Edinburgh as Scotland's capital city.
"These include the marshalling and hosting of events, such as marches and parades and also ceremonial and royal visits, that take place in Edinburgh because it is the capital city."
In its efforts to secure extra cash last year, Edinburgh City Council said it incurred extra costs of around £10m.
However, a little more than £1m was for ceremonial, royal and national events and marches and parades.
Another £4m was associated with its successful and world famous festivals, which brings millions of pounds into the city.
The biggest parades last year in Edinburgh were not royal or ceremonial, and the top three attracted less than 70,000 in total.
However, Edinburgh's council leader Jenny Dawes also admitted the city benefits hugely from these events, and that the capital's economy was the fastest growing and strongest outwith London in the UK.
She said they contribute to the city's tourism industry, which is credited with bringing in £1.7bn and supporting 331,000 jobs.
Orange parades in Glasgow accounted for 233 of its total, which Strathclyde Police and the city council have said puts a serious financial and operational burden on resources, and calls have been made for a significant reduction.
Last month it was revealed Glasgow had more Loyal Order marches, including Orange Order, Royal Black and Apprentice Boys of Derry, than Belfast and Londonderry combined, at 247, compared to 217. It also had more Republican marches than both Irish cities, with 19 as against eight.
Even if Orange Order marches are discounted the number of parades in each Scottish city is almost equal, with the capital hosting 126 and Scotland's largest city 124.
Mr Butler said this was proof that if Edinburgh qualifies for more cash, Glasgow deserves help too, and he will be putting forward a case for ministers to consider.
He said: "I was greatly surprised to hear the Cabinet Secretary argue that the volume of marches in Edinburgh warranted an extra cash boost for the city, given that Glasgow hosts the highest number of any local authority in Scotland.
"The sheer volume of parades in Glasgow places additional strain on the council and police budgets.
"If extra money is to be given by central government on the basis of 'marshalling and hosting' marches and parades, then these statistics prove Glasgow should clearly be at the front of the queue. I will be raising that directly with the Cabinet Secretary."
Of Glasgow's 357 parades, 233 were categorised as Orange, 14 Republican and two trade union.
Edinburgh hosted 129, of which three were Orange, and three trade union.
June and July were the busiest months with almost half of the annual total taking place. Between May and August Glasgow had an average of two parades a day, while in Edinburgh the busiest month was June, with 31 parades.
Crowds are bigger in Glasgow
EDINBURGH's three top events in the last year saw a total of 65,000 people take part.
The biggest attendance was for the torchlight procession in December 2008 ahead of the Hogmanay celebrations.
Crowds marched from the Royal Mile to Calton Hill with a spectacular "river of fire" snaking round the Mound and along Princes Street.
The next two most popular were the welcome home parade for cyclist Sir Chris Hoy on the Royal Mile last October after he won three Olympic gold medals and The Gathering Highland Games at Holyrood Park two months ago, with a parade down the Royal Mile. Each event attracted 20,000 people.
In Glasgow, many multi cultural events attract more participants.
Estimates for the West End Festival with its mardi gras' style procession are as much as 100,000 on the parade Sunday.
The Glasgow Mela in Kelvingrove Park, attracts more than 20,000 and the main annual Orange Order parade in July involves more than 8000 marchers, with thousands more spectating along the route or following alongside.
Glasgow also hosts major annual street events that require organising, policing and marshalling, such as the Great Scottish Run, which involved 21,000 runners with more spectating, and the Women's 10k, with more than 10,000 runners.
