OXFORD City Council has cancelled this year’s popular multicultural Mela because of its ongoing financial woes.

The Town Hall, which is in the process of trying to fill a multi-million pound black hole in its finances, has pulled the plug on the event, which last year attracted 5,000 people to Cowley Marsh.

The authority’s community cohesion officer, who was in charge of organising the Mela, left in the autumn and because of a recruitment freeze. No replacement has yet been found.

The council has suggested organisers of this year’s scaled-down Cowley Road Carnival — which is being held in South Park on July 5 — could feature some aspects of the Mela.

It said it would “pass on contacts and ideas” to help.

Unlike the Cowley Road Carnival, which has a separate committee, the city council organises the Mela and last year contributed about £8,000 to its running costs.

An email from area co-ordinator Angela Cristofoli to city councillor Mary Clarkson, the portfolio holder for culture and heritage, stated: “Currently, we have no officer in post and I am restructuring the team within the budget available.

“Within the new structure the focus of the new team will be to support communities in developing community/area initiatives, but we would not be running particular events directly.”

At last year’s Mela, visitors enjoyed performances of Indian dhol drumming, bhangra, belly dancing and sporting events.

City councillor David Rundle, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group, said: “In such a diverse and tolerant city as Oxford, the least we should be doing is celebrating our community — surely it is not too much to ask to have one event like this a year?”

Labour city councillor Antonia Bance, portfolio holder for social inclusion and young people, said: “We are in an incredibly difficult financial situation.”

Liberal Democrat city councillor Mohammed Altaf-Khan, who helped organise last year’s event, said: “It’s really bad — it’s a great event for different cultures and religions to come together.”

East Oxford Action Charity spokesman Danielle Battigelli said: “The Cowley Road Carnival is very much open to all the different cultures of Oxford, so if any people who were involved in the Mela would like to get involved they would be very welcome.”