A strategic major events steering group and a Festivals and Events All Party Oversight Group could be set up to make sure there is cross-organisational coordination and cross-party oversight.
Proposals in a report to be considered by the Policy and Sustainability Committee on Tuesday 25 February also include appointing a named senior officer to be responsible for each major event so that there is a consistent Council approach throughout and clear lines of communication.
The recommendations and key actions in the report follow a review by the Chief Executive considered by the Policy and Sustainability Committee in November 2019 in response to a number of issues surrounding the 2019 Winter Festivals.
The proposed improvements to be considered by councillors next week as part of the second phase of the review aim to strengthen the Council's management of significant events, to make sure event organisers engage properly with residents whose daily lives will be impacted by events and that all relevant Council departments are sighted on and can feed into event plans.
The report also highlights the ongoing development of a new Public Spaces Management Plan to support a single set of processes, criteria and procedures for future applications for events in parks, green spaces and public spaces.
Council Leader Adam McVey said:
Edinburgh's Christmas and Hogmanay are hugely successful events enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people from this city, this country and all over the world. Looking ahead to the next couple of years' winter celebrations, we're listening to feedback and recommendations on how things can be improved. We're focused on learning lessons from what's gone before and will be seeking to recalibrate our relationship with the current event operator, as well as conducting a citywide consultation later this year on the longer term future of Edinburgh's Winter Festivals.
Depute Council Leader Cammy Day said:
Edinburgh's known globally as the home of fantastic festivals and events and this is something we want to preserve while at the same time making sure we put residents' needs right at the heart of event planning. We've been clear that there are elements of event management that we need to do better at and this report sets out a number of key actions to improve our procedures.