Police must back local carnivals and fetes

11.06.58am GMT Wed 14th May 2008

Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne has appealed to the Chief Constable of Hampshire constabulary not to stop local carnivals by prohibitively putting up the price of policing and road closures.

Mr Huhne has written to Paul Kernaghan, the Hampshire Chief Constable, to ask for him to review the decision which he said "would put many local carnivals out of business by adding just a little bit too much cost and too much red tape".

Mr Huhne said that many of the towns and villages in his own constituency and elsewhere in Hampshire had "vibrant and lively" carnivals or fetes including Hedge End, West End, Bishopstoke, Eastleigh, Botley, Fair Oak and Hamble.

"I understand that budgets are tight for the police, but the decision to put up the costs of road closures and policing will effectively drive many of these marvellous local events to the wall" said Mr Huhne. Mr Huhne said he was worried about the future of the Hedge End Carnival, for example.

"I am also worried that it may adversely affect other key community events such as the parades ahead of Remembrance Sunday, which also require road closures.

"I suspect this is just a misunderstanding as Hampshire Constabulary have a proud record of engagement with the local communities they serve, and do so extremely well" said Mr Huhne.

"I do hope the Chief Constable is able to look at it again" he said. "If this is due to another silly Home Office ruling, I will raise merry hell at Westminster to overturn it".

"Carnivals and fetes and other such community events are a key part of the social web that makes communities work, and the police is usually the first to be aware that successful communities where people know each other are the easiest to police."