THE future of Pontypool’s Party in the Park is up for debate after Torfaen Council announced it was dropping all funding for the event.

Pontypool Community Council are set to debate the options for taking over the running of the event, which continues to attract thousands of people of all ages.

However, Nick Byrne, chairman of the events committee at Pontypool Community Council, is hopeful that the community council can maintain the event.

He said: “I would like to see it kept running as is, and I’m sure that there are others that would agree.

“Torfaen local authority have delivered some great events over the years, and Party in the Park is no exception.

“It’s a great event, especially for the kids and for families.

“We all want it to work out and are all going to pull together and pull something out of the bag. We’re going to get it running as good, if not better than it has done in previous years.

“We have got to work together and work with local businesses to try and deliver a great day.

“The problem that we have is that central government only seem to be interested in what affects them.

“It’s not just Party in the Park. There are a number of events in Cwmbran and in Blaenavon that have been affected.”

The event featured a children’s parade, with its Year of the ‘sea’ theme, as well as a climbing wall, a football-darts game, mini go-karts, along with a variety of stalls and food from around the world.

However, budget cuts at Torfaen Council mean that they will not be able to run next year’s event.

A Torfaen County Borough Council spokesman said: “Withdrawing the budget for summer events is just one of the many difficult decisions we have been forced to make to protect front line services.

“We have made more than £60 million in savings over the last eight years and have to find further savings of £25 million by 2023. There are no easy choices left.

“We will be speaking to all community councils in the coming weeks to discuss potential ways forward.”

The issue is set to be discussed at the Pontypool Community Council meeting on Wednesday.

A number of options have been outlined for the future running of the event.

One option is for the Community Council to take over the running of the event and replicate its current model. Although this may seem the preferred option, the cost of running the event may be a sticking point.

A further two options involve contracting out the event to an events management company, either on a full-time or a short-term contract, although the companies’ fees would push the cost up further.

A fourth option would be for the community council to take over the event, but scale it down in size, and rely on the community to help to provide stalls and entertainment.

This year’s event saw Big Macs Wholly Soul Band, one of south Wales’ most popular acts, headline a diverse line up of music and dance acts throughout the day.

A number of activities were on offer for all the family, including bubble and pirate shows, a dog show, sports, contemporary art from around Wales, farm animals, a full-sized fun fair, and pop-up vintage tea rooms.

The summer event was first organised in 2017, replacing the town’s carnival, and allows residents to showcase a range of talents with events for all the family.

The event was held in partnership with a number of local businesses.