CRITICS have slammed two local councils for splashing out an additional £99,000 on BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

Teignbridge and Exeter City Councils both committed £100,000 each to stage the flagship music event at Powderham Castle on May 28 and 29.

But it was revealed this week that Teignbridge overspent by £32,256 and Exeter by £49,965.

The budget blow-out came from the less than expected number of people using the park and ride service.

Liberal Democrat councillor Alan Connett complained: ‘The Conservatives are spending money other people have had to work hard to earn, giving a handout to the BBC, rather than running local services.

‘I have always felt that the BBC should meet the costs from its own commercial and licence fee income and not look for a hand-out from hard-pressed council tax payers,’

‘We now learn that the cost to the council is even higher than we were first told and at a time when grass verges are left uncut,’ he fumed.

Teignbridge’s overspend will be discussed at the council’s next Executive meeting on Tuesday (July 19) to ratify a further grant from the public purse.

Outraged Lib-Dem leader Cllr Gordon Hook said: ‘The council tax payer has already paid at least £200,000 to the BBC, which is a public body.’

He added: ‘Teignbridge residents, who are my concern, have already paid well over the odds and should not be paying another penny.

‘The Park and Ride scheme did not benefit my residents, it benefited Exeter residents.

‘The whole weekend was Exetercentric and Exeter should pay.

‘Money for vital services have been cut, cut, cut and yet the Conservative administration continues to throw money at vanity projects.’

Teignbridge Council’s Tory leader, Cllr Jeremy Christophers, said: ‘We were committed to delivering the event, and with it, share all the benefits it offered including national and international exposure.

‘There were some unknowns as well as some challenges we knew we had to meet.

‘We believed the potential value of the event made it a managed risk worth taking.’

He argued: ‘The Big Weekend was designed to send a message to the world that we are here as a destination.

‘We want to reach out to a younger generation to ensure they feel part of our community so they will want to live, work and play in this beautiful part of the country.’

Radio 1’s Big Weekend saw 50,000 people descend on Powderham Castle for the two-day festival which saw the likes of Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, Ellie Goulding and Sigma take to the stage.