Photo: Wenn
Scottish MP Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop has been facing questions over a £150,000 funding contribution made to T In The Park Festival.
Earlier this year that they received the grand to 'ensure the successful transition' their former site at Balado to the Strathallan Castle Estate in Perthshire - which hosted the festival for the first time in 2015, with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Kasabian and Avicii and headlining the event.
MORE: Read five things we learned at T In The Park 2015 here
Conservative MSP Mary Scanlon asked very bluntly if the application was fraudulent during questions today. In the past, MSPs have also questioned the need for public funding for the festival, and questioned the actual purpose of the grant.
However, Ms Hyslop insisted that the grant is appropriate and in line with donations given to other events. She also added that the festival bosses had some concerns over the future of the festival and highlighted the possibility of having to move away from Scotland.
Hislop explained, ”Officials looked at this very robustly, we made sure it was compliant with state aid, and the final grant was signed off by officers," adding that she was "standing up for T In The Park". Speaking about a previous meeting with festival organisers DF Concerts, Hyslop said: "They said that their shareholders were giving them pressure to move from being a multi-day, multi-stage event. They indicated that if they wanted to have the festival in that format, they might have to move out of Scotland."
She explained that this gave her a ”responsibility to act." DF Concerts have commented on the controversial grant, saying that there’s”nothing secret at all" about the payment.
The event attracts more than a quarter of a million music fans and usually takes place in July. The only mention of next year's event on the official website at the moment is a statement that tickets for 2016 aren’t on sale yet.
