Row over carnival clean-up fee claim

A row has erupted between Shropshire Council chiefs and a carnival committee over claims organisers have been charged £500 for the clean-up operation after the event.

The council says it has not requested a fee, while the Ellesmere Carnival Committee claims it was informed about the charge, which has led to the event, due to be held at Cremorne Gardens in August, being cancelled.

Alan Hinton, of the Ellesmere Carnival Committee, said both the committee and the Ellesmere Chamber of Commerce were informed by telephone that a charge of £300 for charity organisations and £500 for non-charitable organisations, such as the carnival, was going to be levied.

He said: "We will have to have another carnival meeting shortly to discuss any future carnivals, but if this ridiculous charging scheme goes through this has the very real probability of prohibiting any further carnivals taking place."

But Carolyn Healy, Shropshire Council's parks and countryside sites manager, said the authority had not requested any payment for the event.

She added: "The Cremorne Gardens and promenade have recently been re-landscaped and improved through a £2 million project including Shropshire Council's own contribution of £368,000. We need to make sure this investment is protected and that any damage or litter resulting from events is rectified as part of the event organisation."