Jazz festival 'could be the last' as council funding lost

AN "internationally-known and respected" Birmingham festival is facing the axe amid a financial crisis.

- ALEXANDER BROCK Local Democracy Reporter

Jim Simpson, the director of the Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival, said this year's event may be the last unless new funding was found.

Mr Simpson, a former manager of legendary Brummie band Black Sabbath, said previously that Birmingham City Council's three decades of support had ended after the authority effectively went bust.

He has launched a fundraising page which warned the festival faced an "even sterner position" this year with another backer also pulling out.

"This, combined with the lack of Birmingham City Council funding, has resulted in a total loss of £45,000 for the festival since 2023," Mr Simpson wrote.