FURTHER details have emerged over the decision by Scottish Borders Council to financially back the 2014 Borders Book Festival, which attracted record numbers to Melrose in June, to the tune of £40,000.

The largesse comprised the £25,000 which had supported the festival’s programme in 2012 and 2013, plus a one-off grant of £15,000.

In addition, another £7,000 was allocated as a “business plan grant” from SBC’s economic development budget to make the BBF more sustainable over the next three years.

Back in September, council leader David Parker confirmed that no elected member had sanctioned the extra payments.

Now, in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the council says the decision to allocate the additional funding was made by chief financial officer David Robertson.

And three councillors – Mr Parker along with portfolio holders Sandy Aitchison (education) and Stuart Bell (economic development) – were later made aware of the decision.

The FOI questioner sought to establish if “any council officer or elected member” had benefited from any hospitality or gifts related to the event and was told: “No hospitality or gifts were received by a council officer.” On top of the £25,000 grant, which helps with venue rental, printing and advertising/design costs, the response explains that the £15,000 was “specifically to promote and increase the [festival’s] dedicated schools programme which provided Borders schoolchildren with access to this important literary event…in this historic year”.

Noting that 1,058 school pupils had attended the 2014 festival, it goes on: “The programme enabled young people aged 16 and 17 who were voting for the first time to engage with the political debate in the Borders.” The £7,000 grant includes provision for the creation of a three-year business development plan and visits to other festivals to “learn from similar events”.

The dependence of the festival on grants from SBC and Creative Scotland along with sponsorship from a variety of private sources is evident in the charitable company’s latest audited accounts.

For the year ending February 28, 2014 and covering the 2013 event, the BBF accounts reveal that, out of total revenue of £204,817, £56,525 came from grants and £37,047 from sponsorship, with the balance generated by increased ticket and book sales.

Expenditure over the year was £193,702, but the surplus was more than wiped out by the decision of the trustees to liquidate their subsidiary company – Lennoxlove Book Festival – and write off its debt to the BBF of £15,139.