Douglas Corporation is being told the Department of Tourism and Leisure has no money at present to support the loss making horse trams on the town's promenade.
The Mayor, Colin Cain, recently criticised the government for failing to provide assistance, but Tourism Minister Adrian Earnshaw says the taxpayer already shoulders a substantial burden for the steam railway, the MER and the Snaefell Mountain Railway.
Mr Earnshaw (pictured) says a number of local authority-run facilties are enjoyed by the whole Island, but he isn't ruling out intervention if the horse tram service was threatened with closure (audio file attached):
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