A group of councillors have called for a U-turn on Morecambe Town Council's decision to refuse funding for the Morecambe Pride and Vintage-by-the-Sea festivals.
The town council will hold an extraordinary meeting this Thursday (July 7) at Morecambe Town Hall to discuss two festival funding applications that were originally turned down.
Beyond Radio understands that the two events in question are Morecambe Pride and Vintage-by-the-Sea.
Councillors have been asked to discuss "new information (that) has been presented which could reasonably result in a change of decision and it is proposed to consider these applications again".
The decision to reject the bids from Pride and Vintage was made by the town council's festivals and events committee on June 1.
But a motion proposed by a group of town councillors (Cary Matthews, Paul Anderton, Jake Goodwin, Vicky Boyd-Power, Margaret Pattison, David Whitaker, Jim Pilling, Catherine Pilling, Paul Hart, Bill Jackson, Louise Stansfield and Phil Forster) is looking to reverse the decision, and also review the membership of the committee.
Morecambe Pride is due to take place on the Promenade on Saturday July 30.
Robert Mee, organiser of Morecambe Pride, said he thought it was "disgraceful" that the Pride bid had been initially turned down, saying he believed the application met the council's criteria.
Mr Mee said the Pride bid had been for £10,000, adjusted from an original bid of £12,000.
The Vintage-by-the-Sea vintage festival, run by Morecambe-based company Deco Publique and renowned designer Wayne Hemingway and his family, will be held on September 3 and 4.
Deco Publique said they would not be commenting until after the outcome of the funding review.
Meanwhile, the council has also announced which festivals and events HAVE been awarded grants.
Morecambe Town Council money was allocated in Quarter 1 of 2022/23 to the following festivals or events:
Catch the Wind kite festival - £2,000 (pictured below)
Morecambe Promenade Concert Orchestra - £2,590
The West End Players - £5,000
Armed Forces Day - £700
Escape 2 Make Winter Cabaret - £5,000
Morecambe Promenade Park Run - £1,490
The town council is also running its own programme of events this year, including the recent 1.5 mile Queen's Platinum Jubilee street party on Morecambe Promenade.
Related Story: Thousands party on Morecambe Promenade for historic street party stretching more than 1.5 miles - Beyond Radio
Luke Trevaskis, proper officer for Morecambe Town Council, said: "The council has invested close to £100,000 in 2022-2023 to support the local economy through a programme of immersive events and festivals.
"The council has employed its own events manager and has organised the ‘Spring into Morecambe’ festival, celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and regular street markets, with more exciting announcements to come."
A total of £60,000 was allocated to spend on festivals, events and sponsorship in the 2022/23 town council budget.
Mr Trevaskis said an extra £5000 was allocated for marketing of events, plus an additional sum to employ the town council's events officer (Gavin Dring), making the total spend on events circa £100,000.
Earlier this year, Ivan Harrison, from the Nice 'n' Sleazy punk festival in Morecambe, spoke to Beyond Radio about his anger that his bid for funds from Morecambe Town Council had been turned down.
Related Story: Punk festival promoter "angry" after funding bid gets thumbs down from Morecambe Town Council - Beyond Radio
This Thursday's meeting will start at 7pm and is open to the public.
Organisers can apply for grants from the town council to help run their events and festivals HERE.
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