A festival of music, held annually by Redditch Borough Council, has been cancelled as officers continue to review the town’s schedule of events, in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Morton Stanley Festival is held each Summer, and after the cancellation of last year’s festival it was hoped that it would be back for 2021, bigger and better than ever before, as the Council teamed up with Royal Enfield.

Plans included moving the festival to Arrow Valley Country Park, to make it more accessible and to create a festival of music and motorcycles which would also attract an audience from across Europe. The revamped festival was due to take place in June rather than August.

The difficult decision has been made to cancel the event again because of the preparation and timescale requirements needed to put on such a large event and the continued uncertainty with the relaxation of Government roadmap restrictions.

Portfolio Holder for Leisure Services, Cllr Mike Rouse, said: “We're still very excited about this event which we plan to hold next year instead, which is an approach shared by a number of other events across the world. It’s a longer wait but it will be worth it to bring an incredible festival to the town in 2022.

“I wholly support the decision made by our Officers and know that it is being made with the best interests of our residents at heart. It takes a lot to organise such a large event and we want to do it justice and not rush in.

“We’re expecting the event to have Europe-wide appeal and not everyone is coping with the pandemic and the vaccination programme as well as we are in the UK. We must wait until it’s safe to open up our town to visitors from elsewhere in the UK, as well as other countries. The safety of our residents is first and foremost our main priority.”

All updates regarding future events will be posted to www.redditchbc.gov.uk, as well as the council’s social media channels.