Council chief regrets booking ‘offensive’ comic Chubby Brown
BOOKING controversial comic Roy Chubby Brown to perform in Bilston was a mistake, a council boss has admitted.
City of Wolverhampton Council chief executive Tim Johnson said the authority regretted putting on the show in the Town Hall last Thursday and will be working to “avoid such situations in the future”.
Asked if Chubby Brown would now be banned from performing in council-run venues, Mr Johnson said the decision would be made by elected members.
The event sparked furore, with protesters calling for it to be cancelled amid concerns over the comedian’s material, branded racist, sexist and homophobic.
In response, the council said it was proud of being a fair, diverse and inclusive organisation and said a review of the booking process would be carried out.
In a video address to councillors and staff, Mr Johnson said Chubby Brown – real name Royston Vasey – was “not his cup of tea”, but they were unable to cancel once the booking had been made.
He said: “I want to make it clear how seriously we take the concerns that have been raised, not just by the media but also by various colleagues and stakeholders in our city.
“Although this act has a long history of performing in this city, we absolutely understand the concerns raised and recognise this sort of act polarises opinion with many people finding it extremely offensive.
“But, unfortunately, we were unable to cancel the event once the booking had been made and accepting the booking in the first place was a mistake which I think we all kind of regret.
“We always strive to be a fair and inclusive council and it’s really important we reflect the diversity of the city we serve, but we can’t just talk the talk, we’ve got to walk the walk.
“As a result of the concerns that were rightly raised, we are urgently reviewing our booking policies and procedures for council venues to make sure they are true to our values now and in the future.
“And we will be working with our equalities team to make sure we avoid such situations occurring in the future.” In a separate statement, Mr Johnson added: “I understand the feelings of hurt and share the concerns raised by those who find Chubby Brown’s brand of comedy grossly offensive.
“As a city we condemn racism, sexism, homophobia and all forms of prejudice and discrimination and my personal view is that it has no place in our society.
“However, we cannot shy away from the fact that there are people who want to buy tickets to watch the likes of Chubby Brown perform live.
“As a city, we also believe in and uphold values of free speech... and therefore there is clearly a debate and a discussion to be had about these issues where different points of view are listened to.”