THE Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival in Colne will officially go ahead this summer.

The future of the award-winning event, which brings more than 30,000 music lovers into Pendle over the August bank holiday weekend, was in doubt due to budget cuts.

But bosses at Pendle Leisure Trust have confirmed that it will organise the festival for another year.

A short statement on the festival website said: “The beat goes on! We’re delighted to announce that this year’s festival will be going ahead.”

The trust has seen its funds cut by more than £300,000 as Pendle Council’s Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition aim to save £837,000.

At a budget meeting last week the council agreed to allocate £60,000 to the festival but it was uncertain as to whether it would be sufficient to allow the leisure trust to stage the event for its 27th consecutive year.

But it has now emerged that the festival will take place over the August Bank Holiday although full details have yet to be revealed.

Traditionally the festival opens on the Friday night with more than 600 musicians performing on around 10 different stages around Colne over four days. It is understood that the exact number of days for the festival this year has yet to be confirmed.

Initial negotiations have taken place with artists but a line-up will be revealed later.

The long-term future of the festival is still unclear though.

The fate of the blues festival has been a political football for weeks, with claims and counter-claims over the funding mechanism for the gathering, amid intense pressure over town hall finances.

Council leader Cllr Mohammed Iqbal said: “Quite clearly there were some scaremongering tactics by the Tories but the Blues Festival was never under threat for this year.

“I would urge everyone in Colne and Pendle to get along and support the event over the bank holiday.”

Cllr Joe Cooney, the Conservative group leader, said: “We are pleased that the festival will be going ahead this year but we need an unequivocal guarantee that it will be staged in future years because of what it means to Colne.

“Quite often people attend the festival and immediately book again for the following year, so we are looking for that level of commitment.”

Cllr Paul White, a Conservative county and borough councillor, said: “This administration has said quite clearly that this is the last year they would support the blues festival so we need to look at all the options going forward.”

Cllr Tony Greaves, deputy council leader and a Liberal Democrat ward member for Waterside, home to the majority of the festival venues, said: “We are still determined to set up the Blues on a sustainable basis in future years so we are starting to plan for 2017 now.

“The festival is an important part of the Colne calendar for both residents and visitors, and for the local economy.

“We are determined to keep it going but, due to the spending cuts imposed by the Government, Pendle Council cannot go on subsidising it for ever.”

The festival, which has attracted some of the biggest names in blues from both sides of the Atlantic, has twice been voted Europe’s best blues festival in the European Blues Awards and is in the running for the title again this year.

It has also been Blues Festival of the Year at the British Blues Awards.

Last year’s festival featured a special Alligator Records night when the leading Chicago record label took over the Muni for the night. Other artists included the Blues Band, Courtney Pine and Coco Montoya.