I think the proposal to charge voluntary and community groups for traffic control to enable their free to enter events is very wrong. Most of the carnivals I know are managing on a shoestring raising money throughout the year to fund a week of events. To add to their burden by charging not only for the activity on the day but the training of local volunteers so that they are qualified to do most of the work themselves is unreasonable. I have given my reply to the consultation document already and know that some of the organisations locally have done so too.

Apparently some people challenge the use of the word intimidation in my comments on the wind turbine protests but I did hear the word spoken by a member of the committee who then abstained due to the pressure. We now have two more applications in the same general areas. I shall wait to hear how these are viewed by all the consultees when their answers come in. I shall treat these applications in the same manner as any other application for development, according to the planning rules and will not be brow beaten into any other course of action.