A Worcestershire amateur dramatics group has lost council funding after taking its performances outside the town boundary.

Members of Evesham Town Council’s promotions committee have refused to hand over the remaining £642 of an original £3,500 grant to the Evesham Festival Players.

Town clerk Frank Green said the grant application was approved on the condition that the group’s performances were held in the town centre and as that was not the case last year, the Players had not fulfilled their obligation and members decided not to award the remaining funding.

He said: “The agreement was that they would hold two plays in the town centre and ‘cinema in the park’ but the plays took place at Evesham Country Park, which is actually in the parish of Norton and the cinema in the park never materialised at all.

“We believed that the plays would be brought back into the town centre next year but when it was made clear that they would remain at the country park, it caused some consternation among the councillors.”

At Monday’s meeting Coun Andrew Dyke said: “I am concerned that these performances have not been in the town and have expressed my disappointment with that before.”

Coun Jim Bulman agreed, adding: “By taking the performances outside of the town boundary I don’t think they have held up their part of the bargain, so I don’t believe they should be given the money.”

The Evesham Festival Players have indicated they will attempt to hold an arts festival in July next year as well as productions of Under Milk Wood and Canterbury Tales.