Barnard Castle bonfire organiser blames red tape for £1,500 loss of revenue

AN organiser of Barnard Castle’s annual bonfire and fireworks display has blamed county council red tape for a £1,500 loss at last year’s event.
The bonfire was switched at the last minute from the traveller site, at Shaw Bank, to Streatlam Farm.
Thom Robinson, a member of the organising committee, said Durham County Council’s insistence on a geo-technical survey and ground appraisal to ensure Shaw Bank was suitable for vehicles and a funfair was partly to blame.
He said he had asked to use council data but claims this request was declined.
A follow-up freedom of information request showed the council had never undertaken its own ground survey.
Mr Robinson claims asking for the survey was “clearly a ruse” to stop the bonfire taking place at the traveller site.
He said switching the bonfire added £600 to the cost of staging the event, and although about 1,500 people went along, he claimed others did not because of the move.
“The loss on sales can’t be quantified, but we know we have had bigger crowds in the past,” he said.
The bonfire is staged to raise money for the Barnard Castle Meet activities at Whit weekend.
“The whole idea is that the bonfire is a good revenue maker for Whit weekend. That has now taken a hit.
“We lost £1,500 on the bonfire and all of that is due to the extra costs,” Mr Robinson said.
“If we were down on the Demesnes, our overheads would be relatively tiny.”
Stuart Timmiss, Durham County Council's head of planning and assets, said: “Health and safety and the welfare of the public are key considerations of any bonfire or any other event held on land we own.
“We require anyone seeking our permission to host an event on our land to provide us with documents including a risk assessment and evidence of public liability insurance to satisfy us that the safety of those attending would not be compromised.
“Following an approach to the county's Safety Advisory Group, Mr Robinson applied to us for a Licence to Occupy this site a month before his intended date.
“On receiving the application and throughout our regular correspondence with him, we made it very clear which documents he would have to provide.
“However, despite several reminders, none of the documents were ever provided and the lack of time meant, regrettably, a satisfactory outcome could not be achieved.
“We are more than happy to discuss these issues with Mr Robinson and actively encourage charities to host events on our land, but only where the necessary steps have been taken to ensure public safety.”