Scooterfest is set to return to Leek town centre this weekend – including a popular part of the event held inside the town's Trestle Market.

It brings a close to recent uncertainty around the venue's availability due to plans by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (SMDC) to refurbish the market hall in Leek.

Former leader Sybil Ralphs was overseeing the plans which would have prevented events like Scooterfest using the Trestle Market.

She said in April: "We're spending a lot of money refurbishing the Trestle Market itself and that has to be the priority. It is a market hall."

However Labour politicians railed against the plans, threatening to call them in.

Labour's Charlotte Atkins said at the time: "It's been used for everything from dog shows to carnivals, to music venues, to bars and everything – and indeed the Scooterfest which brings hundreds of people into town."

Since then, there's been a change in leadership and new leader Paul Roberts has signalled his intention to reverse a number of controversial decisions made by his predecessor.

It means stalls selling various scooter-related items will now be hosted inside the Trestle Market as originally scheduled this weekend, with organisers welcoming the change in policy.

One of those behind the event, Steph Knot said: "It sort of overshadowed a lot of what's going on, the debate over the Trestle Market.

"We've used it for the past 15 events – and it's always been a big part of what we do.

"There's been a change in leader at the council, they've come back to us and said that they want us to use the Trestle Market and continue as we have done – certainly this year.

"What's going to happen with the Trestle Market after this year, I don't know."

He continued: "We didn't want to disappoint people that were possibly going to trade in there and then tell them they couldn't trade.

"So we worked on that principle to begin with, which is that we would not be using the Trestle Market.

"We were in the process of making arrangements for the people that traded on the Trestle Market to go outside.

"But there's one or two of them that that aren't set up to trade outside and unfortunately – certainly for this year – it looks like we've lost them.

"But even now I've got traders phoning up wanting stalls, so it's going to be busy, there's no two ways about it."

He said it had been more difficult to make plans while the space was unavailable.

"It's been a little bit frustrating because it puts a lot more work on us – not only from sorting the stalls out, but as you can imagine on the day of the event.

"The stalls that were in the Trestle Market would park up and walk their stuff in.

"From our point of view it's good news, but the Trestle Market, in the whole scheme of things, is pretty much a small part – even though it's an important part for us.

"We've got scooters coming from all over the country – there's going to be thousands turning up in town.

"We've got a custom show which is showing off some of the the work that goes into these machines, it's unbelievable.

"We will have live music and we're going to have in the region of 40-odd stalls.

"We've shut the centre of town, all the roads in the centre of town will be filled with scooters.

"So although it's an important part, an integral part of the day, and has been for 15 years, it certainly isn't what it's all about.

"I've not got into the debate about the Trestle Market market, we've just said 'okay, if we can have it we will use it, if we can't then the show goes on'."

He added that as long as they can make money from this year's event – from stallholders paying for a pitch and through selling raffle tickets – then next year's event will go ahead.

"If there's enough money made to put the event on next year it will go ahead, if not it won't. It's as simple as that.

"What people are getting – the town will be full of all sorts of vintage and modern scooters.

"It'll be full of local people, the place bounces, it really does between eleven o'clock and probably three or four o'clock in the afternoon.

"There'll be scooters from all over the country – even from abroad!

"We have in the region of 40 stalls – trading everything from modern clothes, vintage clothes, scooter spares – you name it really.

"Most places you'd probably have to pay to go and see all these events separately – and we put the whole lot on for free for everybody."

He said: "I would like to thank all the people that do make donations to help keep us going, the people that turn up and support us, and very importantly the people in the club and the councillors that fought for us."