4:40pm Saturday 31st October 2009
By Natalie Stewart
LANDOWNERS and retailers who profit from Appleby Horse Fair are being asked to help fund the rising costs of the world-famous event.
The Multi-Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group, which organises the running of the fair, is looking for new sources of income.
This year’s gathering saw an overall increase in expenditure of £64,000, from £317,805 in 2008 to £381,834 in 2009.
Currently, the income generated from site fees, car parking and food retail is retained by landowners and operators and a contribution is made towards event manage-ment and control.
MASCG intends to enter into an agreement with individuals to help reduce the cost to tax payers.
Kevin Douglas, chair of the MASCG and chief executive of Eden District Council, said: “The MASCG is acutely aware that the costs of operational planning for the horse fair are currently being met by the public purse.
“We need to agree a funding strategy for the event from 2010 onwards to ensure that the joint agency work, that the public recognises makes the horse fair safer for all concerned, continues.
“This means individuals who are currently benefiting from the horse fair need to contribute towards its operation costs to reduce the burden on tax payers.”
The 2009 fair was half way through MASCG’s three-year improvement plan, which has seen a stronger policing presence and firmer licensing regulations.
An evaluation report has revealed that more than £50,000 has gone towards extra policing and 106 arrests were made this year, up from 65 last year.
The report revealed a number of positive comments on policing, with one respondant saying: “We need this level of policing to continue until all rogue elements are dissuaded from attending.
“The measures taken this year proved very effective.”
However, others did not agree with the presence of armed police officers, saying they were ‘horri-fied’ to see this at the entrance to Fair Hill, while one respondant said police were ‘rude and confron-tational’.
The report also noted problems in surrounding areas including Sedbergh, where residents repor-ted issues of criminal damage, threatening behaviour and intim-idation and lost business.
Chief Superintendent Paul Ken-nedy, South Cumbria’s most senior police officer, said the police recognised the needs of these communities and that they will work with Eden and South Lakes district councils to put measures in place to better support them next year.
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