A COMMITTEE providing financial backing to Oxford’s Cowley Road Carnival has warned it could cut funding to the event next year unless it returns to the street.

Nuala Young, chairman of Oxford City Council’s East Area Parliament, has said the committee would not be receptive to pleas for cash if organisers want to stage the event in South Park again in 2010.

The hugely popular bash, which attracted more than 35,000 people last year, was replaced with a so-called Carnival in the Park in July because of concerns over cost and organisation.

Last month organisers East Oxford Action Charity, said the carnival may have outgrown the East Oxford street, and told the Oxford Mail the replacement in South Park cost a third of the street event.

They said it still attracted 25,000 revellers.

Ms Young, Green party councillor for St Clement’s, said: “The carnival was started out of regeneration money and its original purpose was to boost the shopkeepers – who need every bit of help they can at this time – and to give a sense of pride to the people of the area in their community.

“I would be hesitant to give the organisers money unless they commit to Cowley Road.

“People came to the committee last year really strongly urging that we keep it as a community thing on the road, and the organisers weren’t really listening to them.

“We’d like to see that the people have been listened to, rather than the organisers deciding for themselves what they want to do.”

Last year the East Area Parliament gave organisers £7,500, in order to release a further £22,500 of city and county council funding to allow the event to go ahead.

However, with the committee having its funding cut from £44,000 to £31,000 by the cash-strapped city council, Ms Young said councillors wanted to fund projects which would bring regeneration to Cowley Road. She said: “We’re very grateful to the organisers for carrying on the tradition and putting in the work, but it needs to be a Cowley Road tradition.

“If the event is in South Park, the diversity of the area is marginalised – and that diversity is something we want up front in the event.”

The tough stance has been welcomed by traders, who have launched a petition to bring the carnival back to the road.

Erica Steinhauer, who runs Bead Games, organised a fringe event this year to keep the festival spirit alive on the road. She said: “We feel we’re being heard and this public show of political support for the small businesses and community of Cowley Road is very heartening.

“While we hope that the organisers make a clear commitment to Cowley Road, there’s a strong feeling that the Cowley Road Carnival Fringe will be around for many years to come.

“We wouldn’t want a situation where our carnival could be cancelled again.”

No one from East Oxford Action charity was available for comment.

Last week charity spokesman Danielle Battigelli said organisers were “completely open-minded” about the location of next year’s event and would discuss feedback from the public after the summer break.