PLANS to change the way the Royal National Eisteddfod is funded have been rejected by Wrexham Council's Executive Board.

Flintshire County Council Leader Alex Aldridge, a Labour councillor, is also leader of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA).

He's put forward a recommendation that each local authority contributes £19,000 a year to the eisteddfod no matter where it is held.

Currently the eisteddfod, a festival of Welsh language writing, poetry and song, costs £3.5m to put together.

Around £300,000 of that is the responsibility of the host authority.

But, as budgets get tighter, it is becoming difficult for councils to find the money.

Liverpool City Council hoped to revive its historic position as a host authority in 2007 as part of its Capital of Culture celebration.

But the City's Welsh community is seemingly against the idea, believing there are simply not enough passionate Welsh people to raise sufficient cash or to organise the event.

However, if all Wales' 22 authorities and the Royal National Eisteddfod's Council agree to the new scheme, Liverpool would be out of the running, as it does not contribute to the WLGA.

And, if one or two decide not to put money in and the others do, the situation could arise where Welsh authorities who do not pay are excluded from the list of National Eisteddfod host authorities.

As a result the Eisteddfod could go to neighbouring Flintshire in 2007.

But the county will not hold it without a new funding structure.

Wrexham has told the WLGA it does not support an annual contribution.

Opinion among Wrexham council-lors was split with some arguing the Eisteddfod was a part of Wales' culture and heritage.

But it was resolved that the authority does not have the resources to support the National Eisteddfod by way of an annual contribution.

It remains to be seen whether this decision will mean Wrexham will ever again host an Eisteddfod.

'I am deeply disappointed,' said Independent Cllr Arwel Jones.

'We should be joining other Welsh authorities and supporting this. Unfortunately we came out at the bottom of the funding pile when the Assembly was handing out grants.

'People blame the Assembly but it is not the Assembly's fault. It's the ruling party, the Labour group.

'Instead they are strangling the life from the National Eisteddfod by leaving us financially unable to maintain the traditions of Wales.

'If people are unhappy with this decision they know who to blame. Many of us believe we should give grants and protect our heritage but the money is not there.'

The WLGA said some authorities still had not responded and it could not comment on the proposal's future until all the authorities had reported their decisions.