EDINBURGH’S Lord Provost was “ghosted” by Taylor Swift after spending £1000 of taxpayers’ money on tartan guitar straps.
LibDem councillor Robert Aldridge tried to set up a meeting with the US popstar while she was performing in the capital in June, but was ultimately snubbed.
The Sunday Mail reported that Aldridge had planned to gift her a £1200 hamper which included the specially made straps, along with a letter suggesting she should wear one on stage at Murrayfield.
The straps were made with a specially designed tartan and cost up to £500 a piece, while the total cost of the entire hamper was estimated to be at least £1235.
Officials hoped the Love Story singer would wear one on stage and sign the other so it could be auctioned for charity.
When Swift’s management did not respond to Aldridge’s approaches, a council official ended up delivering the box to the gates of the stadium.
Swift ended up using a plain black strap on stage, and reportedly left the second strap behind without signing it.
Despite this, the Sunday Mail reports that the council still intends to go ahead with the charity auction.
Aldridge reportedly wrote to the events team at Murrayfield in April, where he asked them to reach out to Swift’s management about attending a civic reception at the City Chambers.
A council official said that the hamper could include “miniatures of Lind and Lime, Edinburgh Gin and perhaps a local whisky for her beau".
A source close to the gigs said: “I think there was some concern about setting precedents where every city would go above and beyond, and then the artist is asked to do photo calls in pretty much every major city.”
Commenting, independent councillor Ross McKenzie said: “The Provost may have been ghosted by Taylor Swift but there are plenty of people in the area I represent who’d love to meet him to discuss unsanitary accommodation and inadequate care packages.”
