Fatacil, the albatross that has hung around Lagoa council’s neck for so many years, is to undergo a full audit in an attempt to bring some clarity to the €700,000 accumulated debt and to look at sensible ways forward for this once important regional fair.
The annual Fatacil event, once the largest exhibition of agriculture, crafts, trade and tourism south of Lisbon, will be subject to a full financial audit covering the last three years, announced Lagoa’s new mayor today.
Francison Martins said this not only will be an audit of finances, but a look into the terms of responsibility for the fair, as some 'situations' are less clear that they should be and need justification.
Fatacil shows debts of "more than €700,000" said the new mayor, explaining that the financial problems relate to Fatasul, the council subsidiary that organises the event.
Fatacil has "lost its influence regionally and nationally - south of the Tagus it was once the largest event of its type," the mayor acknowledged adding that in his opinion the loss of recent goodwill relates to the financial problems surrounding the fair.
"It was wrong to increase the price to exhibitors and to increase the price of tickets, both have led to a reduction in the number of exhibitors and in public attendance figures," said Martins.
Jumping ahead of the audit results, the Mayor said that Fatacil will be organised with a new structure as from 2015, "It is urgent to create a structure that manages not only Fatacil, but all the events and initiatives that project Lagoa to an external audience."
The Mayor said that the council also will conduct a study to assess the financial strength and success of the new structure, but added that this new management model will be neither permanent nor fixed, as "you don’t need people around all year to manage one ten day show, It's a luxury that can not be seen anywhere else," said Martins.
The current organisation of the fair is shared by the Lagoa council and, for reasons lost in time, its social services department. This is known as Fatasul, whose viability the mayor doubts, even from a legal point of view.
