Charitable and Community Events

I shall raise two points. Hatherleigh carnival is an event that has been held for many years. It has a particular attraction as it is one of the few carnivals to have flaming tar barrels, which are wheeled down the high street in Hatherleigh. When I first heard about the flaming tar barrels, and when I went to see them, it caused me a degree of discomfort, but it is only when one goes to see them and inquire into how they are handled that one realises that at every stage the barrels are under the close and tight control of people who know exactly what they are doing and that there is no danger. The fire service is consulted every year, and there have been no accidents or injuries. Last year, Hatherleigh carnival, which usually raises about £1,500 to £2,000 for charity, was suddenly fixed with a bill of about £1,500 to £2,000. That meant that my constituents would have nothing left to give to charity after they had paid the police force. The point that was made to me by my constituents and the organisers of the carnival was that that would deter people from participating in such important community events. They usually get involved because they know that the proceeds will go to charity. The chances of Hatherleigh carnival happening the following year were remote. I am fortunate because there are an excellent number of local divisional inspectors and officers who, as I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Totnes (Mr. Steen) earlier, were embarrassed by their position. They found themselves caught between the community that they were trying, often with great care and diligence, to police and the ridiculous order that meant that they were required to charge a small, charitable event that encouraged the charitable activities of the community. With a degree of good will and negotiation, we managed to get that charge extinguished. Of course, the carnival now lives from year to year with the threat that that charge might reappear. My constituents said to me, ““How often do we use the resources of the police through a normal year? We barely see a policeman in our village communities.”” Insult has been added to injury because not only are our rural beat officers and our neighbourhood beat managers fairly infrequently seen in rural areas, but they are now being withdrawn to be replaced by police community support officers. The rural communities in which such charitable events are, as has been said, at the very heart of community activity and feeling, are being deterred, disappointed and depressed, not only by the absence of police but by the fact that when they put on an event that takes a great deal of initiative and hard work, they find themselves charged for it.