The cost of an Oakengates summer event has doubled this year – with the blame being put by one resident on unnecessary expenditure.
Jean Kenny, who lives in the town and has helped with Oakengates in the Park events in the past, said this year’s event is set to cost more than £5,000 – compared to last year’s figure of around £2,000.
And of that, £4,500 is going to PS Promotions, the business run by local dj and celebrity Paul ‘Shuttsie’ Shuttleworth.
At a meeting of Oakengates Social and Events Committee held last month, £4,500 was set aside “for the services of Paul Shuttleworth Promotions Ltd.”
An additional £800 was agreed for adverts and publicity.
Oakengates Town Council clerk, Michael Gledhill, said councillors chose to pay PS Promotions to organise the event because otherwise it simply may not have gone ahead.
But Mrs Kenny said: “It has approximately doubled to what it normally costs. It is a big increase.
“I am not against the event, I am all for it. But in all honesty I can say they are doubling the money.”
Mrs Kenny said this year the town council is paying for stewards who in the past have been volunteers, and two-way radios which could have been given on loan.
“Oakengates has its own radios,” she said. “The stewards were Oakengates councillors on the last committee and there are a lot of things, like bouncy castles, that pay you to come to the event. I can’t understand why they are paying for them,” she said.
But clerk Mr Gledhill told the Journal: “The question was do we go ahead with the event? Because the way it was looking it wouldn’t have gone ahead unless it was contracted out.”
He went on to reveal that councillors wanted Shuttsie after seeing what he achieved at other summer events. He also believed having Shuttsie on board would help promote and advertise the event at no extra cost.
“It means it will be a bigger and better event,” he said. “The committee and full council took the decision based on the facts. It is going to cost more money but we are hoping for a far better day and more people.”
Shuttsie, from PS Promotions, said: “I was approached by Oakengates Town Council to produce the event on a similar scale to Dawley Day.
“This is the first time I have organised the event for Oakengates Town Council.
“It is going to be bigger and better than before. There is a whole list of entertainment. It will be a community day aimed at providing family entertainment for the residents of Oakengates.”
Activities planned for the event at Hartshill Park on July 24 include a bouncy castle, a climbing wall, reptiles, live music and stalls.