Mayor hopeful for festive event despite rink doubt
BBCLeicester's mayor has said he is "determined" to ensure a festive attraction takes place in Jubilee Square this year despite uncertainty over the future of the city's Christmas ice rink.
The annual ice rink is in doubt after the rink's previous operator pulled out of this year's event amid an ongoing dispute with Leicester City Council.
Sir Peter Soulsby said an ongoing court case meant there was a limit to what he could say publicly.
However, he told the BBC another company could potentially be found to run an ice rink.
"It may even be possible to find a way of doing this, to have a different operator doing an ice rink," he said.
The ice rink has been a festive feature of Jubilee Square since shortly after the public space opened.
Soulsby said the attraction, along with the Christmas big wheel, had "worked incredibly well" and helped establish Jubilee Square as a key venue for city centre events.
"It may be that we have to do something different this year," he said.
"Continuing to make things happen, particularly over the Christmas period in the city centre, is something that I'm absolutely determined to do."
He said future festive attractions could also make use of Leicester's revamped market place.
"There's an exciting future, it's a bit of a problem at the moment, but we're determined to make something happen, if not an ice rink," he said.
A Leicester City Council spokesperson said the authority was "currently looking at other options available" and hoped to provide an update soon.
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