No Go Fan Zone Cost £8.5k

£8,545 was spent planning and organising a fan zone for last month's Euro 2020 final, but the public screening of the match didn't go ahead.

Many football supporters were calling for a fan zone to watch the big match between England and Italy.

It was the first time an England men's football team had reached a major final in 55 years.

Ministers said on 8 July that a public screening of the game was being considered.

It was announced late the following day that it wouldn't go ahead.

A Channel 103 Freedom of Information request has revealed that an application to put on the event was made, but rejected by the Bailiff's Panel, because 'there was significant concern that the event could not guarantee strong mitigation against the transmission of Covid 19 for an event space of 2000 individuals'.

Planning and equipment hire  - including generators, lighting towers and fencing - cost £2725, and £5,820 was spent on getting the screen from the UK.

Building work started three days before the match, and before a final decision had been made as to whether the screening would go ahead. 

The Bailiff's Chambers says that was because it would have been impractical to construct a safe event space for 2,000 people within 36 hours.

Thousands watched the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup on the Waterfront

England lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties.