Civic Dinner cancelled

“Inappropriate” to stage annual celebratory event

(Date of issue: Friday, 4 February 2011)

In light of the current financial climate, a decision has been to taken not to hold the Carlisle City Council Civic Dinner.

The decision was announced at Tuesday’s (2 February) Full Council meeting. The Mayor of Carlisle, Cllr Mary Styth would have hosted the event.

She said:

"I feel that during these hard economic times, it would be totally inappropriate for us to host such an event. Notwithstanding the cost, it would have also sent out the wrong message to local residents, businesses and organisations. We are all aware of the hard economic times we are currently working in and in particular, the difficult time our staff and others are undergoing, especially those facing redundancy."

The decision not to hold the event was agreed by the Leader of Carlisle City Council, Cllr Mike Mitchelson; the Mayor of Carlisle, Cllr Mary Styth and the City Council’s Chief Executive, Maggie Mooney.

Leader of Carlisle City Council, Cllr Mike Mitchelson, said:

"A celebratory event would not be appropriate during this difficult year for the council. This is not intended to be a snub to those businesses or individuals who attend and support the event. I am sure they will understand our reasoning behind the decision."

The Civic Dinner is usually held at the Shepherd’s Inn and would have cost around £4,200. As part of the evening event, Civic Awards are given out to people or organisations that have made a difference to their local communities.

To ensure that the important contribution and achievements made by individuals and organisations within our communities continued to be recognised, a Community Reception in the Civic Centre on the evening of Thursday, 17 March.