Southwell Town Council refuse Gate To Southwell Festival grant request but lobby county council to waive road closure fee
A request for funding for a festival has been refused, as a council has no budget for grants.
Southwell Town Council voted against providing a grant to the Gate To Southwell Festival, as it has done in years prior, as it has not allotted money in its budget for giving grants.
The grant was requested to fund a shuttle bus between the town and the festival site in Kirklington, where the folk music event is held in July.
Rodger Blaney suggested the council encourage the festival organisers to look at additional opportunities to increase revenue in order to cover the cost, however he proposed the council make it clear it was working with Nottinghamshire County Council, via Southwell’s county councillor Roger Jackson, to have the road closure fee in the town centre waived for the event.
The county council has initially said the road closure will need to be paid for as the festival is not a charitable or community event — such as street parties — and Mr Jackson said he would approach the council again. He had also offered the festival some funding from his own discretionary fund.
Town councillors suggested that the parking at the festival site could be changed from free to paid parking to help cover costs. It was also suggested a £1 increase in ticket costs could raise enough extra funding for the bus service.