NOISY protestors angry at a proposal to outsource Basingstoke Live have gathered outside the offices of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council tonight.

Around 50 people carrying banners and chanting “Keep Live Alive” are outside the offices in London Road ahead of tonight’s scrutiny committee meeting.

Councillors will examine the plan to undertake a soft marketing exercise to see if the running of events, including Basingstoke Live and Basingstoke Festival, could be outsourced to a private company.

But campaigners fear that outsourcing the free two-day music festival in the War Memorial Park will destroy its character.

Protest organiser Paul Midgley, from the Drum Runners group, told The Gazette: “We are hoping to show the council that there are people in Basingstoke who are local experts that are already running a very successful event.”

Hannah Copeland, 25, from Rooksdown, Basingstoke, said: “I think Basingstoke Live is a brilliant event to sit, chill and watch different types of music and it’s free.

“I think the council are reaching for the stars. They have a vision that it will be as big as Reading or Glastonbury when I do not think it will and it will fail and it will go completely.”

A council report has stated that the borough council estimates it could save £206,000 a year by getting an external organisation to run the events.

The committee will tonight try and recommend a way forward to Cabinet member for property, finance and commissioning, Councillor John Izett, who will consider their comments along with the findings of the soft marketing exercise at a future Cabinet meeting.