THE Mayor of Stourport has said he had no option but to switch the annual mayor's ball to an out-of-town venue, after his decision came under fire.

Councillor Stephen Clee described the row which had blown up as "petty".

He said he was left with no choice because Stourport's Civic Hall, where the event is usually held, was already booked.

Councillor Clee said: "We booked the event, as we always do, in January so we did it in plenty of time.

"However, on this occasion, the Civic Hall was already booked on the day we wanted, which was April 30."

Decided

He added it had been decided to hold the event on April 30 to co-ordinate with the balls held by the mayors of Bewdley and Kidderminster.

Councillor Clee said: "Obviously we do not want to hold the event on the same night as the others because we are all invited to each other's.

The event will now be held in the grounds of The West Midlands Safari Park, Bewdley.

The decision had sparked anger among Stourport traders and councillors, who said travelling would be difficult.

Coun Clee said: "This is just people having a political swipe and I am not prepared to drag the mayoralty into the political arena."