Leicester loses Christmas ice rink after operator dispute with council

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 19:32 · Archive

Leicester will not have its Christmas ice rink this year after the longstanding operator pulled out following a dispute with the council.

Leicester will not have a Christmas ice rink this year after Eleventh Hour Events, the longstanding operator, pulled out. The company had run the Jubilee Square attraction since 2019 and was due to return in early December. Leicester City Council confirmed the withdrawal on Friday 23 October and says it is pursuing a debt owed by the company, with both debt recovery and breach of contract matters now in the hands of the council's lawyers.

Eleventh Hour Events owner John Davies disputes the council's claim. In an email to councillors, he 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 cancellation is concerning for the local economy. "We are very surprised and incredibly upset to hear 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." Leicester City Council said it is "disappointed by this late cancellation".

How it is being reported

• Ice rink operator pulls out after council disputeA spokesperson for Leicester City Council says it is "disappointed by this late cancellation".BBC Leicester · 23 Oct, 18:14
• Leicester without Christmas ice rink after longstanding operator pulls outThe company had a dispute with the councilLeicestershire Live · 23 Oct, 17:48

In this story: Eleventh Hour Events · Leicester City Council · John Davies · Liz Sahu · Leicester · Jubilee Square

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