defend your local festivals

[ozzy]

Dear music types,

Small festivals and community run arts and music events are under threat from the association of chief police officers (ACPO) and we need your help!!

Around the country police forces are beginning to implement the ACPO guidance on charging events, in practice this means that any event, even community run and charity events, with a few stewards, some stalls and a music license are now liable to be slapped with a HUGE bill for the policing costs. This is threatening the future of a large number of the small festivals we all know and love, these events are often run by volunteers on shoestring budgets and they simply can't afford it.

We urge the government to defend the future of these events and stop these unfair charges.

Please sign the petition online at

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/communityevents/

and join the facebook group at

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76854665212&ref=mf

Cheers

Ozzy

Campaign to defend community events

PS. and if you think the police are running this protection racket because they are short of funds they clearly aren't, cambridgeshire police spent £82,000 of taxpayers money on a self help guru... http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/displayarticle.asp?id=434086

[skyskratcher]

Thanks for the info. Glad there is a petition like this in place :)

[redrockpictures]

yep
hope you find success

[Culture Shock]

Thanks for the info, I'll definately look more into this. It's a shame, as bad as the economy is getting for them to be doing this sort of thing is pretty stupid in my humble opinion. Hell, it's no wonder venues are closing left and right all over the place.

[cplcassidy]

This is disgraceful, the police shouldn't be charging more to police a small event surely the tax payers are paying their wages so they should do their duty regardless, i don't want to wave goodbye to these events :(