Published on Tuesday 10 October 2023
The review of future options for Bournemouth Air Festival will take one more month to be completed before a recommendation is presented to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s Cabinet.
This extension will allow BCP Council and the business community enough time to explore all financial options to bring back the event in 2024.
Provisional dates have been identified for an air festival to take place next year as bids for military aircraft, have had to be made to meet deadlines set by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). These provisional dates are for up to four days between Thursday 29 August - Sunday 1 September 2024.
A working group to explore options was established in the summer between representatives from local hoteliers, restauranteurs, event organisers, council officers and some BCP Council Cabinet members to look at organising and funding the festival for next year.
Significant financial pressures mean that BCP Council’s Three Towns Alliance leadership must look at new ways of sustainably financing the free event in future.
Portfolio Holder for Connected Communities and Tourism, Cllr Millie Earl said: "Currently, there is a £44m shortfall in the 2024-25 council budget and the Bournemouth Air Festival is a major event in the calendar for 2024.
"In view of the financial pressures on the council and at a time when cost of living pressures continue to affect our everyday services and the budgets of our residents, we are looking at a reduced cost for Bournemouth Air Festival in 2024 and are exploring ways to make it sustainably funded.
"The working group has identified and assessed lots of opportunities, but as this is a complex situation, we will be taking one more month to ensure the right decision is made in the most robust and diligent way.
"We understand that the air festival is an important part of the season for hoteliers in Bournemouth and that they start to prepare for the forthcoming year’s bookings way in advance, but to balance these needs with the costs borne by residents we need to explore all funding alternatives thoroughly.
"We would like to thank those in our business community who have been working with us on exploring these options. These conversations have proven extremely useful and have been a crucial part of our partnership working.
"Together we are doing everything we can to make the festival vibrant and interesting, working with stakeholders and partners to do so."
Although there is no formal public consultation process, the council continues to welcome any views from our residents.
A recommendation is now likely to go before Cabinet in November to allow one extra month for options to be explored and a formal decision to be made.
Notes for editors
For more information, pictures of interviews, please contact the BCP Council Press Office by emailing press.office@bcpcouncil.gov.uk or call 01202 817808