Festival blame must be on promoter - councillor

2:40pm Friday 22nd August 2008

I WRITE to comment upon the debacle that was the proposed Rock‘n'Roots festival in Much Marcle and the blatant attempts by the organiser – Mr Stephens - to blame everybody for the cancellation other than himself.

Any professional festival organiser knows that it is fundamental to obtain a licence to stage an event in order to comply with national law; it is not about council ‘pedantry’, it is about ensuring the safety of those attending, and in the area of, the event, and of informing all who need to know.

Mr Stephens claims to be an experienced events organiser and yet there were a litany of shortcomings and non-compliance with his application, including: incorrect and inappropriate advertising in the press and around the site; very late submission to the police; and his delivery was some four days late.

This lack of attention from an experienced events organiser is unfortunate and meant that the Regulatory Committee had no option but to decide that the law had not been complied with and that it was not appropriate to consider a license.

Quite simply, it is for the applicant to consult with the relevant authorities and provide all necessary information, in a timely manner.

The fact that Herefordshire was deprived of the pleasure of listening to and watching some very talented musicians is quite simply the responsibility of Mr Stephens; I reiterate he must ensure that he complies with national legislation and satisfies all its requirements to enable the event to be given consideration by the Regulatory Committee of the council.

I have heard that the residents of Much Marcle have been collectively referred to as a bigoted village. How disingenuous. All they wanted was to be informed, in a reasonable time, of what was being proposed in their village, and I do not think that this is unreasonable.

When I heard of the event, I organised a meeting in the Memorial Hall on August 5 (albeit at the eleventh hour) to enable Mr Stephens to explain what he was proposing to the local residents and to give them a chance to discuss their concerns. This was the first the majority of residents had heard about the event.

The event, its organisation and safeguards, as explained by Mr Stephens, did not convince those in attendance that the event should be held as proposed.

It has been accepted that the council officers ‘bent over backwards’ to help him with the application and it was true, they provided unstinting assistance.

I am disappointed that the cancellation of this festival has been attempted to be laid at the council’s door, and onto the residents of Much Marcle.

Hopefully, this ‘blame game’ can now be seen for what it is, a subterfuge to excuse bad organisation and by from the organiser.

Herefordshire welcomes many events and is proud to play host to them but it would be fair to say their organisers would have complied with the relevant law to enable their event to be happen.

Cllr Barry Durkin, Ward member for Old Gore, Herefordshire Council.

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