The annual Brentford Festival which has been taking place in Boston Manor Park for the last seven years could be on the move - to Ealing.

The popular event which has grown year on on year has been run by Friends of Boston Manor Park (FoBMP).

This year it didn't happen after a row with the company contracted by Hounslow Council to manage the Park.

John Laing Intergrated Services wanted to charge several thousand pounds for the Festival which the FoBMP say as a community event is totally unacceptable.

In September the park played host to a much smaller family picnic instead of the Festival.

Linda Massey who runs the cafe in the Park along with other unpaid volunteers said:

''It is particularly galling that the Friends of Boston Manor have used their proceeds over many years to improve facilities in the park for the benefit of the local community but when we ask the Council contractors for modest support, we get nowhere.

''FoBM provided around £30k worth of volunteer labour for the festival in 2011 while we asked for £3k in specialist labour in return. Not much”.

The Festival organisers are now approaching Ealing Council with a view to moving the Festival to another location close to Brentford – discussions are at an early stage but organisers believe they have a much more constructive & supportive attitude towards community events.

The plan is to reinstate the Festival in a new location - thought to be Blondin Park - next year in its traditional date at the end of the summer of the first Sunday in September (1st in 2013).

It will be discussed at the Northfields Ward forum meeting on October 18th.

Hounslow Cllr Ajmer Grewal said:

"We are deeply saddened by this decision, and also the suggestion that we have not done enough to help. The fact is both JLIS and the council have tried to find a solution on numerous occasions.

"The arrangement with JLIS doesn’t include any budget for community events, but this hasn’t stopped other events taking place, and we are confident we could help find alternative funding sources for the festival.

"We have made our position clear to the organisers, and local councillors have repeatedly offered to help, but we can’t help but feel that this decision was made a long time ago, and there was nothing any of us could do to reverse it.

"However, we want the organisers to know that our door remains open, and we remain willing to find a solution that keeps the festival in Brentford."

2nd October 2012