Anger Over Council Charges to Charities

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 6th Oct 2003

A row has erupted between traders In St. Margaret's and the council over a charitable fund raising event, held last Saturday, for which the council has doubled its charges from last year for the cost of organising a road closure.

In 2002, St Margaret's's traders charity fair attracted 1000

people and raised £2000. This year they hoped to do even better for the chosen charities - the Shooting Star Hospice appeal and the Lifeboat Association. But councillors have decreed that the council's charges will have to rise from £250 to £550 much of which will have to come from the charities receipts.

Vincent Cable, MP, has approached the council on behalf of the traders and the charities and asked them to review the decision. He said: "This is a very petty and silly decision. Council officials were being very helpful but councillors, on behalf of the administration, met and decided to impose an increase in charges of over 100%, most of which will inevitably

be taken from the receipts of the two charities. The traders are already being generous with their time and money and the council seems to be calculating that they can be bullied into coming up with a few more hundred pounds".

"If the council is serious about civic pride and helping voluntary

organisations they should be falling over themselves to help events of this kind, not undermining and discouraging them".

"I did approach the councillors last Friday afternoon for their comments on the charges and have heard that they are looking into it".

Contact: Simon Chapman, trader Crown Road Twickenham, 8891 3944 or Vincent Cable, 8892 0215.