Hackney Weekend pop gig made no money for Marshes upkeep admits Council

Heartfelt: Leona Lewis at Hackney Weekend. Photograph: © BBC. Photographer: Steve Barney

Hackney Council has admitted that it made not a penny from a controversial pop gig on the Marshes – but spent £65,399 on cleaning up afterwards.

The huge BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend concert in 2012 featuring stars like Rihanna sparked a storm of criticism because of damage caused to cricket and football pitches that took months to repair.

Campaign group Save Lea Marshes welcomed the Town Hall’s announcement in May that it was shelving plans for further music events in the green lung which culture chief Councillor Jonathan McShane had said could help fill a funding gap caused by government cuts.

Cllr McShane cited the celebrity-filled event as an example in a debate about potentially using the Marshes for commercial purposes in future.

He said it was “vital we find new ways of funding the £500,000 subsidy we currently provide to run the Marshes, maintain their high quality, and keep costs to users at a reasonable level,” adding: “We feel strongly that this could include events on the Marshes in future – and we believe the fact 30,000 local people attended the BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend shows there is demand.”

But Cllr McShane has now revealed that the council gained nothing financially from the gig.

He said: “The BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend 2012 was a one-off free event to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games which the Council did not make any money from.”

The council said the cost of cleansing and disposal of waste following the Radio 1 Hackney Weekend was £65,399, adding that this money came out of the 2012 Games budget, which was allocated to Olympic boroughs to support them in hosting cultural events during the Games.