Ice rink operator pulls out after council dispute

Leicester's ice rink is in doubt this year as the longstanding operator has pulled out.

Eleventh Hour Events has run the Jubilee Square attraction since 2019 and was due to return in early December.

In an announcement on Friday, Leicester City Council also said it had been pursuing a debt owed by the company, which was now in the hands of the local authority's lawyers alongside the breach of contract.

However, Eleventh Hour Events owner John Davies disputes the council's claim and is asking elected members at the council to question its management of the situation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

In an email sent to councillors, Davies said: "It is with considerable regret that I made this decision. I wanted the rink to proceed.

"My position is that the council's delays, failure to bring outstanding disputes to a coordinated resolution meeting, and inadequate responses to substantive correspondence materially contributed to the outcome."

City centre councillor Liz Sahu said the news was concerning in terms of the local economy.

"We are very surprised and incredibly upset to hear today that the much-loved Christmas Ice Rink isn't coming to the city centre this year," she said.

"This is a huge blow to the city and I worry about the impact this will have on Christmas trading for our hard-working businesses.

"The city is competing against many other Christmas activities in order to draw in the public and I worry about the impact this will have.

"This announcement has come as a complete shock and I only hope the city council is working around the clock to replace the ice rink with something magical and exciting but my fear is this won't be the case."

Councillor Zuffar Haq added people who were looking forward to having the ice rink in Leicester would now have to travel to other cities.

Graham Callister, the city council's head of festivals and events, said: "We know that the ice rink has become a popular feature of Christmas in Leicester, and we are disappointed by this late cancellation.

"We are currently looking at other options available to us and aim to give an update on this very soon."

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