Bournemouth council has cancelled the town's beloved Air Festival after 16 years.
The popular four-day event, which features the Red Arrows and draws 600,000 visitors every year, has been canned - with Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council blaming surging costs.
Council officials have said costs have risen across insurance, security, infrastructure and even counter-terrorism measures, which have effectively forced the authority's hand.
The decision has sparked fierce criticism from both inside and outside the council, with critics pointing to how the event generates as much as £60million for the local economy.
PICTURED: The Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers perform at the 2018 Bournemouth Air Festival
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And one Conservative councillor, Phil Broadhead, accused BCP of cancelling the event over "climate change" concerns - a claim which the Lib Dems, who run the authority, have refuted.
"Saying we don't like planes, therefore we should ban the air festival for the sake of three or four days that brings millions to the local economy is a step too far," he fumed.
"On that note, we shouldn't be doing anything that generates any carbon whatsoever," Broadhead added. "What we are doing is banning fun."
Meanwhile, Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association chairwoman Rosie Radwell said the cancellation is "a great shame because the air festival was a big boost for Bournemouth".
"I don't think tourism is the top priority for this council," she added, and called the cancellation as "a huge loss to the area".
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Cancelling the much-loved event is 'a great shame because the air festival was a big boost for Bournemouth', Rosie Radwell said
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It comes just weeks after the same local authority revealed it would be unable to afford to host a celebration for the 80th anniversary of VE Day in Poole.
A BCP council spokesman said residents were instead being urged to stage street parties to celebrate Victory in Europe.
BCP Council also cancelled a celebration for the 80th anniversary of VE Day in Poole just weeks earlier
| PAEx-British Army Major Mike Shearer told GB News the move was "shocking" and "absurd", and said the council "should be ashamed of themselves".
"Politics is all about competing priorities," he said. "It's as much about the art of living as it is about the science of furnishing society with the things they need.
"This is not just about the military. This is about celebrating the end of a war, a war in which we secured freedom and democracy for Europe."
Cllr Millie Earl, Leader of BCP Council said: “The climate impact of the air festival was a small part of the debate at our overview and scrutiny meeting two weeks ago.
“The decision to no longer fund the air festival was made in November 2023.
“We were clear at the time that the cost to the council of running the event meant last year would be the final council-funded air festival.
“At Cabinet last week we asked anyone with interest in delivering an air festival, or who could offer sponsorship, to get in touch.
“We wouldn’t be doing that if we wanted to cancel the event for environmental reasons.”