Diwali update from Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby after ‘non-factual’ petition launched.

Uncertainty over the future of Leicester’s Diwali celebrations has been addressed by the city’s mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, in response to an online petition which he said contained “non-factual” information. The petition claims that Sir Peter “has now taken the decision to end funding for this important festival”.

This means, the petition claims, that “unless local merchants come up with the money,” “there will be no kick-off ceremony.” Sir Peter told LeicestershireLive that no decision has yet been made on the funding of the events or what the celebrations will look like in the future.

He added that he was still working with local businesses and potential sponsors to raise the money, saying the quarter of a million pounds paid out for Diwali celebrations each year in Leicester was “getting harder and harder to justify”, given given the financial difficulties facing the council. and that an alternative source of money had to be found. This year’s budget revealed that Leicester City Council will need to invest in an emergency cash pot just to cover its core costs this year. The authority also expects to file a Section 114 settlement – ​​essentially declaring bankruptcy – by the end of the financial year.

READ MORE: Former police officer banned from the profession after a drunken night out

Sir Peter insisted there was “absolutely no doubt” about the lights and decorations being displayed in the city ahead of Diwali, but admitted that unless more funding could be secured, the two big events associated with the festival – the lighting and celebrations of Diwali Day – could be in jeopardy. However, he added that he “remained optimistic” that a funding solution could be found for the entire string of holidays ahead.

LeicestershireLive asked Sir Peter if there were any current plans to cancel either the launch or the Diwali Day celebration. He said: “There isn’t, but we need the funds to make sure they don’t get cancelled.

“There are three elements of Diwali celebrations that cost money. One of them sets the decorations and there is absolutely no doubt about it. We’ll go ahead and put up the decorations and lights.

“The second is the actual festival of initiation and the third is the celebration of Diwali Day. What we have at the moment is a combined bill of over a quarter of a million pounds for both of us, and what I have said is that it really is unsustainable.

“It’s grown dramatically over the last few years, and to continue to do that is just not something we can justify either in terms of absolute cost or in comparison to other things we do in the city, such as Christmas or Eid decorations. So what I’ve said to the ward councilors and the business association and the festival board is that one way or another we’re going to have to reduce those costs.”

He added: “Hopefully I can find a way to fill the gap through sponsorship. We have very positive feedback from them about being able to do that. Certainly no decision has been made, other than in my opinion, things cannot continue at this expense for the foreseeable future.”

We also asked if there was a risk that one or both of the main events could ultimately be canceled if external funding could not be found. Sir Peter said: “The short answer to that is yes, because I simply cannot justify spending a quarter of a million pounds a year on something which, as wonderful as it is, is a one-off event. However, I remain quite optimistic that it will be possible to find ways to fill this void with proper sponsorship.”

The city’s mayor added that he personally did not want to see the celebrations end. He said he was the leader of the board when they started and had “many years” of enjoyment from them.

He said, “I can well understand people’s concern about Diwali celebrations. We have had many years of enormous pleasure from them and the way so many of the communities in Leicester enjoy them. So I certainly don’t want to see them go away.”

Labor candidate for Leicester East in the upcoming general election Rajesh Agrawal also weighed in on the discussion about the upcoming Diwali in Leicester. He met with the city’s mayor this week to discuss the issue.

He told LeicestershireLive: “It is such an important part of Leicester’s identity. Bring communities together. So with these budget constraints on the board, the community is concerned that it could just be lights and essentially the other two elements are at risk without sufficient other sources of funding such as sponsorships.

“I want to work with the community, businesses and councils to make sure there is enough funding to keep it as it is. There are financial constraints. Leicester Council is not alone. There are many councils up and down the country that are under huge financial constraints.”

Mr Agrawal added: “It is important that the whole community speaks as one and also works with the council to try and generate additional income streams. The most important thing is that the Diwali celebrations continue, right? This is the most important thing of all.

“This is one of the good, big, positive stories from Leicester. Many people, not just here but even in places like India, know about Leicester partly because of the holidays. It’s a big selling point for Leicester. It’s part of the tradition and brings communities together, it’s good for the local economy.”

Mr Agrawal also said that if elected when the country goes to the polls on Thursday, July 4, he would take the case to Parliament and lobby for central government funding to support the future of the Leicester celebrations.

For information on all the candidates so far in Leicester and Leicestershire, see our story here.