A festival, which attracted more than 1,500 visitors, needed more “publicity and creativity”.

Our Community Festival, which was held in August at Barley Lane Recreation Ground, Barley Lane, Goodmayes was overshadowed by the Olympics and was missing key organisations and community involvement.

Cllr Ali Hai said: “The festival was good and well attended. However there were issues with publicity and a number of bodies were invited too late and weren’t able to attend.”

Cllr Wes Streeting said: “I think that the focus on the Olympic Games meant that insufficient resources were given to the festival and that this year was different to any other.

“There was a lot going on around the borough which is likely to have had an impact.”

The committee allocated a budget of �10,000 for the event which came in just under at �9,996.50.

Cllr Balvinder Saund added: “We need more consultation with the community and creativity with the budget when planning the festival. I personally felt it wasn’t value for money.”

The committee also agreed to consult with schools in the area on next year’s proposed date of July 14.