Cambridge Big Weekend could be cancelled in budget cuts

Cambridge City Council's proposals to save an estimated £11.5m over the next five years include cutting the free live music event

The Cambridge Big Weekend could be cancelled next year as the council considers cuts in order to balance its budget.

Axing the free live music event is among Cambridge City Council's proposals to save an estimated £11.5m over the next five years.

The plans also include closing some public toilets and ending some bus subsidies.

The authority said it needed to ask itself "difficult questions".

Head of finance, Caroline Ryba, told a meeting of the council's executive that the budget for next year was balanced, but it used £2.9m of reserves to achieve this, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

She added the budget gap for the 2024/25 financial year was still £4.8m.

Labour councillor Alex Collis, who is responsible for open spaces, food justice and community development, said the city council had to ask itself "difficult questions".

"The Big Weekend is a valued event, but is an expensive event and it is becoming less affordable with rising infrastructure costs and reduced income from reduced sponsorship," she said.

The authority is proposing to close some "underused" public toilets, including those on Mill Road, Quayside, and Chesterton Road, while others may only be open at weekends.

Labour councillor Rosy Moore, the executive member for environment, climate change and biodiversity, said she recognised that even infrequently-used toilets were still used by people, but said the council had to make "some difficult decisions".

The authority is also proposing to remove the subsidies it pays for three bus services from 2024 onwards - the Citi 2, Citi 3 and Citi 114.

Councillor Anna Smith, the council's Labour leader, said: "It is shocking that councils across the country are being put in the position where budgets are pressurised so much and some decisions we are asked to make are not decisions we wished to have made under better circumstances."

Public consultation over the draft budget proposals is due to be held.