Cash-strapped council cuts £15,000 from Pride funding
BIRMINGHAM Pride has been hit by the removal of £15,000 in sponsorship after funds were pulled by the cash-strapped city council.
The authority is also charging an additional £7,000 for use of the vacant Smithfield site – the home of the two-day LGBTQ+ festival.
Lawrence Barton, director of Birmingham Pride, said the council was “not supporting our event, just earning revenue from it”.
The cost to use the city centre site had previously been free of charge since it moved there in 2021.
The council must find £300 million-worth of savings to put a cap on its spiralling financial crisis.
The council gave £15,000 in sponsorship to the festival in 2022 and last year. It previously removed financial support in 2010.
The £7,040 plus VAT charge to use the Smithfield site was reduced from £31,295 due to
Pride being a community event.
“To face being charged for use of a space which ordinarily lies empty has a very negative impact on us,” Mr Barton said.
A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: “The council is currently facing serious financial challenges so we are unable to waiver the total charge for using the Smithfield development land to host the Birmingham Pride Festival 2024.
“We will continue to work with the organisers to ensure that the Birmingham Pride Festival continues to be a successful event.”
The council’s Labour leader Cllr John Cotton told Pride organisers in an email: “The council is currently facing serious financial challenges and must maximise its income to help offset budget pressures.”
Birmingham Pride, founded in 1997, is one of the biggest events in the city. Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Eurovision winner Loreen will be among the performers at this year’s event on May 25 and 26.