Booking Roy Chubby Brown was a mistake, admits council boss

Chief executive Tim Johnson said the authority regretted putting on the show in the Town Hall on Thursday and said they will be working to “avoid such situations in the future”.

But when asked if this meant Chubby Brown would be banned from performing in council run venues in future, Mr Johnson said the decision would be ultimately made by elected members.

The event sparked furore earlier this week with protestors calling for it to be cancelled amid concerns over the comedian’s material, which was branded racist, sexist and homophobic.

In response, the council said it was proud of being a fair, diverse and inclusive organisation and said a review of the booking process would be carried out.

In a video address to councillors and staff, Mr Johnson said Chubby Brown – real name Royston Vasey – was “not his cup of tea” but they were unable to cancel once the booking had been made.

He said: “In the spirit of openness, I want to reflect on an unfortunate story you may have seen this week about the controversial comedian Roy Chubby Brown, who performed at Bilston Town Hall.

“The story was essentially about calls to cancel the show due to the nature of the content compounded by the fact it was fallen during Black History Month.

“There have been a number of similar stories elsewhere in the country on this particular act who, it is fair to say, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and certainly isn’t mine.

“Whilst this is a really unfortunate issue, I nevertheless want to make it clear how seriously we take the concerns that have been raised not just by the media but also by various colleagues and stakeholders in our city.

“Although this act has a long history of performing in this city we absolutely understand the concerns raised and recognise this sort of act polarises opinion with many people finding it extremely offensive.

“But unfortunately we were unable to cancel the event once the booking had been made and, to be honest, accepting the booking in the first place was a mistake which I think we all kind of regret.

“We always strive to be a fair and inclusive council and it’s really important we reflect the diversity of the city we serve but you know what, we can’t just talk the talk. We’ve got to walk the walk.

“As a result of the concerns that were rightly raised we are urgently reviewing our booking policies and procedures for council venues to make sure they are true to our valiues now and in the future.

“And we will be working with our equalities team to frankly make sure we avoid such situations occurring in the future.”

In a separate statement, Mr Johnson said: “I passionately believe in equality and diversity and I’m vehemently opposed to all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

“I am proud to manage an incredibly diverse workforce and this is why I chose to speak out in one of my regular videos to staff and express a personal opinion about this particular performer.

“I hold a position of responsibility and it is important to demonstrate to my colleagues that I understand the feelings of hurt and share the concerns raised by those who find Chubby Brown’s brand of comedy grossly offensive.

“As a city we condemn racism, sexism, homophobia and all forms of prejudice and discrimination and my personal view is that it has no place in our society.

“However, we cannot shy away from the fact that there are people who want to buy tickets to watch the likes of Chubby Brown perform live.

“As a city, we also believe in and uphold values of free speech and freedom of expression and therefore there is clearly a debate and a discussion to be had about these issues where different points of view are listened to.

“All interested parties have a duty to engage in that debate, there are no easy answers to this and of course it will then ultimately be for councillors to make decisions as to any future policy for the council which I know they will do irrespective of my personal views and that is exactly as it should be.”

Penn councillor Celia Hibbert led the calls for the show to be cancelled, saying people had been “appalled” by the booking and that the city didn’t need his “hate propaganda”.

But she herself was criticised for comments she made in a radio interview ahead of the show where she said she had been warned there could be “rivers of blood” if it went ahead.

Wolverhampton Conservative group branded the reference to former Wolverhampton South West MP Enoch Powell’s infamous 1968 speech as “insensitive and irresponsible”.

Roy Chubby Brown was banned from performing at Sheffield City Hall earlier in this tour and has faced protests at other venues.

These reactions have been were branded “ludicrous, unfair and disgraceful” by his tour manager Ritchie Hoyle, who added he had “never met a more generous, caring, selfless person in my life”.