Burghead Boxing Day Swim is on
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THE Burghead Boxing Day Swim will go ahead this year, it has been confirmed.
However, swim organisers say they will not pay Moray Council's harbour licensing fee – either this year or in the future.
Uncertainty has surrounded the annual fundraising dip for weeks after organisers took a stand against paying the £100 levy – accusing the council of "penny-pinching".
The organisers maintain that as they carry out all aspects of staging the event themselves – from divers to risk assessments – there should be no reason to impose the charge.
Swim president Jamie Campbell said today: "We are now in a position to state that the swim will go ahead – regardless of what Moray Council says or decides.
"We would like to make it clear we will not be paying the council harbour charge now nor in the future – but the swim will go on regardless.
"We have been grateful for the huge outpouring of support and whilst we wanted to announce that we would continue with the swim we could not do this until we had received detailed legal advice."
Mr Campbell said the committee appreciated offers from businesses and individuals to pay the fee but urged them to show their support in other ways.
He said: "We would like to say thank you to all of the businesses and individuals who offered to pay this charge. The support they gave us was overwhelming and astounding, but we could not allow this to be paid on our behalf as, to us, that would be like us accepting it had to be paid.
"We hope those kind people will choose to support us in other ways and we do hope they get in touch, but thank you to them all."
A motion to scrap the levy will be discussed at the next full council meeting on November 27. The council said no steps would be taken to recover the fee before the motion has been considered.
Councillors agreed back in February to charge the flat fee for community and charity events at its six harbours. The council said this has been charged to and paid by other event organisers, and goes towards recovering the cost of staff time involved in preparing or reviewing risk assessments, checking insurances are in place, ensuring safety requirements are met, and ensuring safe access and parking.
The swim is in its 34th year and has raised nearly a quarter of a million pounds for local charities since it began. This year the charity beneficiaries will be Marie Curie, Keiran's Legacy and the Sub Aqua Club.
