Colne Town Council held a meeting last night, Tuesday 12th October, to discuss the future of the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival with members of the public. Colne Town Council has organised and managed the event since 2017. The public meeting was held at the Municipal Hall, with over 50 members of the public in attendance.
The Council welcomed input from the public and interested parties. Each notion was listened to and documented.
The meeting is available to view online and, despite what is being said in some areas of social media, no firm decisions and changes have yet been made about the future of the event at this time.
Last month, a report by the Council stated: “It is recommended that Colne Town Council does not reinstate the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival in its current form in 2022, and that Colne Town Council investigates options for a Music Festival on the August Bank Holiday weekend. The reasons for these recommendations were to allow the Council to still run a festival based on the blues genre on August Bank Holiday weekend, without putting strain on the Council’s resources and finances.”
Councillor Mary Thomas, Chairman of Colne Town Council adds “The Council no longer has the resources to run the Colne Blues event in its current form. However, we are talking with local residents and an organisation who contacted the Council which runs similar festivals. We are listening to suggestions and ideas for the festival from groups of interested parties, local businesses and local residents. What eventual shape this festival will take is yet to be decided.”