No pop concert this year at Bailey Park
Abergavenny Chronicle - 20 March 2003
LIZ DAVIES REPORTS
PLANS to stage a controversial one day pop music event at Abergavenny’s Bailey Park have been put on hold by Monmouthshire
County Council’s Cabinet.
Speaking at last week’s meeting of the Cabinet held at County Hall, Cwmbran, Councillor Andrew
Crump, leader of the council’s Conservative group warned that although he would support the principal of
staging an event for the youth of the town, it could cause a split among residents.
“I remember a time when a similar event planned for Chepstow divided the community and I would hate to see
the same thing happen in Abergavenny,” said Councillor Crump.
He also raised serious concerns about the possibility that the council could face a financial loss of between £3,000
and £20,000 and said that he could not support the underwriting of such an event.
“Only weeks ago we were tearing our hair out over the budget and it would be quite wrong
to follow that by underwriting an event like this,” he said.
Similar concerns were also raised in a written response to Cabinet by Councillor Alan Breeze,
who also commented on the £1,000 allocated to pay a local organiser, while other local groups which raised money for
charity, did so on a ‘purely voluntary basis’. Objections to the proposals were also raised by Abergavenny Town Council with members
commenting that money allocated to the ‘speculative venture’ could be better spent on providing permanent
facilities for the town’s young people such as a ‘long-awaited skateboard park’ or carrying out the ‘much needed’
renovation of Bailey Park.
Outlining the proposal to councillors, Cabinet member for lifelong learning and leisure, Councillor André Arkell said that the
council had been approached by the organiser of the NSPCC It’s a Knockout event and a commercial radio
station with a plan to jointly stage the event.
Despite predictions in a report to cabinet, that the event could ‘at best be cost neutral or make a loss of between £3,000
and £20,000’, Councillor Arkell said that he was confident that ‘external and internal’ sponsorship would reach levels
whereby a loss would not be incurred.
“It is a criticism often levelled at this council that we don’t do anything for young people in Abergavenny and this
would be a real way of promoting the interests of the young,” said Councillor Arkell. “In-built into this
would be an opportunity for various services to talk to young people about issues like alcohol and drug abuse.”
Despite his support for the project, Councillor Arkell said that there were ‘some matters which were not
clear’ and which meant that a firm decision on the scheme could not be reached in time for it to go ahead this year.
“In reality for the event to go ahead in August arrangements would literally have to be started today and as the information we need
is not available this cannot happen, so what we are asking for is an in principal decision,” said Councillor Arkell.
The council’s corporate director for lifelong learning and leisure, Phil Cooke added
his support to the project saying that discussions with local people had been held and that an interest had been
shown in developing the idea.
Mr Cooke also stressed the importance of consulting with the newly formed Monmouthshire Youth
Council to ensure that the event was ‘what young people really wanted’.
Broad support for the project also came from Councillor Verona Nelmes, who warned however against the
danger of ‘rushing in’ and called for sensible planning on behalf of the organisers.
“We need to take a long term view of this and plan it properly,” said Councillor Nelmes.
Support for the ‘exciting project’ was also voiced by Councillor Rob Griffiths, who said that it was unusual that the
council was able to reveal an ‘exciting and useful project’.
He warned however that further consultation was required as the idea of a pop concert meant ‘different things
to different people’.
“I don’t know that it would split the town if it went ahead I think that it could be beneficial to everyone,”
said Councillor Griffiths.
Leader of the council, Councillor David Waring said that it appeared from the discussion that councillors
were in favour of supporting the project ‘in principle’ but admitted that it had been attempted to ‘rush’ the
plans for this year.
“We need to look at this further, particularly in relation to the financial implications for the
council and so I think that it is best that we suspend the idea for a further year for more detailed discussions to
take place,” said Councillor Waring.
Related articles:
* Pop concert plan for NSPCC in Bailey Park - 16/01/03
* Bailey Park pop concert still to be decided - 06/02/03
* Town council against Bailey Park pop concert - 20/02/03
