Moves to end fair disputes (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Moves to end fair disputes

PROPOSALS to improve the bi-annual Stow horse fair have been put forward by the Gipsy Council.

Council chairman Charles Smith has put forward a series of ideas which he feels would improve the event, which takes place in May and October.

He spoke out ahead of the meeting due to be held later this month to discuss the future of the fair.

The meeting was called after May's fair brought reports of widespread public disruption. The increasing size of the event and the gipsies' earlier arrival at the site were among the complaints. Human excrement left in fields and allegations of intimidation by youths were also causes for concern.

In 1995, the district council obtained a High Court injunction, allowing only three caravans on the field for up to 28 days annually, after campers allegedly misbehaved there during the fair.

To prevent further problems arising, Mr Smith has called for the lifting of the injunction, restricting camping to the field and opening the site's gates on the Monday before the Thursday fair.

The field should be vacated by the Friday and any rubbish cleared within the following few days. Other suggestions for improvement included supplying caravans with portable toilets, providing a 24-hour mobile police unit and having the fair's operators fund public toilet opening.

In a letter, Mr Smith accused Jenni Turner, a member of the town council and Stow Times editor of spearheading a campaign to stop the fair through the publication.

She replied: "Had he spoken to me it might have been useful because I've been an advocate of the fair since joining.

"The Stow Times does not have an opinion but the people who write to it very much do. All the ideas put forward by the Stow Times has been for the betterment of the town and residents. That doesn't mean to say the fair is going well, it isn't working well at all and that's the reason why we're having a public meeting."

The meeting is due to take place at 7.30pm in St Edward's Hall, The Square, on Wednesday.