THIS year's Edinburgh marathon will not go ahead unless the private company organising the event pays up front the staging costs due to the local council.
Donald Anderson, Edinburgh Council's sport, culture and tourism chief, has revealed that unless an undetermined sum, believed to be a few thousand pounds, is not paid a month before the event there will be no road closures granted.
His ultimatum comes as it was revealed that the staging of last year's event cost taxpayers as much as £140,000 in unpaid traffic management bills.
Mr Anderson revealed that the council stepped in at the last minute in 2006 after concerns that Edinburgh Marathon Limited, the North Berwick based private company which organised the event, would not be able to stage it without public financial help.
"We had a gun put to our head last year because people had already booked to take part in the 2006 event and we thought it would be a disappointment for them and bad for the city to have the event called off at the last minute so we decided to underwrite the traffic management costs," said Mr Anderson.
"That totalled £139,323 and unaudited accounts we have received from the company suggest we may not get the money as they will not be able to pay it. This year they plan to hold the event again and start it in Edinburgh but take it down through East Lothian and finish in Musselburgh Race Course.
"We have also been told they have brought in a private company to deal with traffic management and there will be only a small amount, a few thousand pounds, due to us because the race only starts in Edinburgh but then heads out of town. "
Edinburgh Marathon Limited intends to press ahead with a run on May 27 with an estimated 12,000 participants and is still taking entries through its website. Edinburgh City Council, Event Scotland, Sport Scotland and Scottish Athletics have all withdrawn their support for this year's event.
Despite repeated attempts there was no reply yesterday to The Herald's calls to the offices of Edinburgh Marathon Limited or to an e-mail sent to marathon director Geoff Sims requesting a comment.
However, Mr Sims has said in the past to The Herald that the firm would have no difficulty organising and staging this year's marathon.
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