Festival cancelled due to funding
11th May 2009
An annual multi-cultural event has been cancelled by council chiefs this year because of a lack of funding.
Oxford City Council said it could not afford to put £8,000 towards the Oxford Mela because it needed to make savings of £5.3m this year.
The Mela - a Hindi word for a "gathering of people" - is a festival which celebrates diversity in the city.
Organisers said it was important the festival went ahead, saying it brought different communities together.
Last year, the city council contributed about £8,000 to the event's running costs.
The council's community cohesion officer, who was in charge of organising the Mela, left last year.
Because of a recruitment freeze at the authority the position has not yet been replaced.
The council suggested organisers of this year's scaled-down Cowley Road Carnival could feature some aspects of the Mela.
Source: BBC