SWINDON could stage a huge open-air pop concert as part of the BBC's annual Children in Need appeal.

The concert would attract a crowd of up to 12,000 people and feature some of the top music acts in the country.

Swindon Council has been contacted by the BBC to ask if it will help fund the event.

And the council's cabinet committee was tonight due to rule on whether it will provide £10,000 towards the running costs.

This would help pay for security arrangements, traffic signs, temporary toilets and waste collection.

Swindon Council spokeswoman, Lynda Fleming, said they had been asked by the BBC not to reveal any details about the proposed event yet.

But it would take place on Children in Need night in mid November.

In a report to councillors, Lionel Starling from the Environmental Service Department says: "Swindon Borough Council has been approached by the BBC with a request for collaboration to build a Children in Need concert on the premises of a leading retailer in Swindon.

"The retailer has undertaken to fund much of the costs associated with presenting the event."

Last year, the BBC Children in Need appeal, which uses Pudsey bear as its logo, took place on Friday, November 16, and raised £25 million for children's charities.

It included four pop concerts in Leicester, Portsmouth, Doncaster and Northern Ireland.

The BBC is understood to be keen to hold the concert for its southern region in Swindon because of the town's central location.

Last year's Portsmouth concert featured the bands Steps, Hear'Say and N-Trance as well as local acts.

Swindon Council funding for the event would come from its general reserves.

A spokesman for Children in Need was unavailable for comment yesterday.