The £500,000 bill for Appleby Horse fair has come under the microscope as residents across Eden rally for the right to hold public votes on the annual crowd-puller.
Appleby Fair Communities Group has been leading the calls for communities to hold parish polls on the fair, amid concerns about safety, the £496,000-a-year drain on the public purse and questions over whether such a large event should be allowed to take place without an official organiser.
With an estimated attendance of 40,000 Gypsies, Travellers and tourists every June, a £12.50 ticket bought by each attendee would cover the £500,000 bill for staging the event.
However, Gypsy and Traveller representatives Bill Lloyd has expressed doubts that the fair can ever be ticketed, likening it to charging people for a visit the seaside.
And Gypsy leader Billy Welch has said: “You can’t charge people for a ticket for being on a public highway in Cumbria, or for walking through Appleby town to the River Eden.”
The immediate focus for the fair communities group is convincing Eden Council chiefs to allow questions to be put to the public for a poll in the town on how the fair should be run in future and whether fairgoers should foot the bill.
In an early setback, senior officers at Eden Council dismissed three draft questions from the group, saying they did not meet the necessary criteria, and that a parish poll based on them would therefore be refused — citing the Local Government Act 1972, Court of Appeal case law, and other factors for the decision.
The community group claimed it was an attempt by Eden Council to silence those impacted by the fair.
However, following a parish meeting hosted by Appleby Town Council, the questions have now been reworked and a fourth added — agreed by 70 votes to one — and tabled to Eden Council on Wednesday for fresh consideration by Paul Sutton, Eden’s interim director of resources and returning officer.
The Appleby Fair Communities Group has warned that if the questions and a parish poll are refused, it would appeal.
There is unease in Appleby about liability, with the multi agency strategic support group involving Eden District Council, Cumbria police, Cumbria County Council, and Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, helping to support the event, but disassociating themselves from any sense they organise it.
Les Clark, Eden’s deputy chief executive, also serves as the MASCG chairman.
The draft questions for a parish poll were ruled out by Mr Sutton, who said: “It is, in my opinion, clear that the questions asked are outside of the power of any individual town or parish council.
“In fact, they are outside the power of any single entity. For these reasons a parish poll would be refused on the questions, as submitted. There would be no practical application in asking the electorate to vote on a question that was wholly outside the remit of (Appleby Town) council.”
Karen Brenan, co-chair of the Appleby Fair Communities Group, said it would be “ludicrous” if the people of Appleby were prevented from having a poll about an event that took place there.
Ms Brenan said: “MASCG repeatedly tells us that the fair is co-ordinated by a number of public sector agencies but the event is not run by any of them.
However, the existence of MASCG is now being used as a reason to block a parish poll requested by residents.
“We really don’t understand how EDC can block the people’s attempt to have a voice about an event they claim is unorganised due to their involvement co-ordinating it.
She added: “It’s worrying our town council lacks the power to do anything about safety in our town and how our taxes are spent.”
Last week Long Marton Parish Council formally called for a public vote at a parish meeting. And last Tuesday, residents of Kirkby Stephen stopped short of calling a parish poll but at a meeting delivered the message that the fair needed to be organised and ticketed.
Interest in parish meetings and polls have been lodged in Mallerstang, Dufton, Murton, Bandleyside and Brough Sowerby — but have so far fallen short of the numbers required to trigger the process.
It emerged this week that a parish poll would cost up to £1,500. Mr Sutton has pointed out that the costs of running parish polls were not insignificant.
“The costs are borne by the individual town or parish taxpayers,” he wrote. “This additional public spend would not seem appropriate given that there are already plans to fund such consultation.”
Eden Council plans to bring in external experts to examine the “legalities and practicalities” of the fair becoming an organised event and has set aside £10,000 for the work.
A “draft specification” for consultants has been shared with MASCG members with procurement expected in August.
The draft questions are:
- Do you feel that public safety is compromised during Appleby fair?
- Should the costs associated with Appleby fair be covered by the fair itself?
- Should Appleby fair be considered as an organised event and comply with statutory regulation?
