EVENT organisers in Herefordshire are to be hit with new charges to cover the cost of advertising road closures.

A revised charging structure for highway licenses has been approved by Herefordshire Council which means organisers of small-scale community events will have to pay a fee of £125.

Currently, there is no charge for this and there are fears the move could impact events such as Christmas lights switch-ons, Ledbury Boxing Day hunt and Bromyard Folk Festival.

David Fitzcount, chairman of the Leominster Medieval Pageant, said the changes meant the pageant was unlikely to be able to continue in its present form unless a sponsor was able to step in to cover additional costs.

He said: "Various individuals and groups work tirelessly and often at their own cost to put on events and activities that benefit the community.

"Increasingly though, event organisers feel they are being hobbled by what some may see as minor irritations but which in reality create further difficulties for hard pressed volunteers. This sounds like another hurdle which is unnecessary.

"The viability and vibrancy of our local towns depends on well organised events supported by the local community, local businesses, and by visitors to the region.

"We need local government support not erosion of our ability to deliver these events and activities. This applies to all sorts of things not just charges for road closures. We need a team approach to making Herefordshire a great place to live, work and play and not this constant undermining of local efforts to make it so."

All four Leominster ward councillors wrote to Councillor Paul Rone, cabinet member for highways and transport, to ask him to reconsider the decision.

They said the cost would have a detrimental impact on the viability of events in the town and could lead to some being abandoned altogether.

In a statement, Herefordshire Council said it had worked with Balfour Beatty to carry out a review of charges for the granting of various licences and road closures.

"In line with the council’s commitment to prioritise those services most important to residents, proposed charges have been introduced to cover the costs of implementing a road closure to cover costs, such as statutory advertising," it said.

"Since June 1, small scale events will be expected to pay £125 for road closures.”

It added that charges would not be implemented for civic/community celebrations with no commercial interest such as Remembrance Day.

The proposed charge for large-scale events such as the Hereford May Fair or the Three Choirs Festival would be at a cost of £250.