Mr BC said:
As I said, I support this event going ahead but I don't see why local council tax payers should subsidise a national political event.
Well firstly this is a *free* event - one that can be enjoyed by all types of people, just like any other free event that Lambeth council or other local authorities might spend council tax money on. How much public money does Lambeth spend on events every year (eg the L.C.Show). It doesn't restrict these to Lambeth residents does it? Surely it simply holds them locally and doesn't lay on car parking or do other things to the detriment of locals etc? By your criteria, what makes the LCS a 'local' event then?
What about stuff up at the South Bank or Coin Street? Surely you get people from all over the world enjoying events there? I'd love to see some actual legal criteria rather than this 'make-it-up-as-you-go-along' type stuff. If people are going to 'make it up' then I'd like to know what local councillors think. Unfortunately most of them haven't bothered replying and some who have either have refused to voice an opinion of their own or have even said they don't have any knowledge of what is going on.
Two more points about money: many of the people who come to the event will spend money in local shops, pubs and restaurants etc. Secondly, is the council actually willing to publish what it is spending this £10,000 on? It is being claimed that the council is running up costs becuase of this festival that is being provided freely to the public, including local people, who will make up a very significant percentage of people attending, noit least because it is free entertainment right on their doorstep. Is the council actually prepared to break down these costs and tell the taxpayer where it is spending the money?
In fact, the organisers are underwriting this event - they are the ones who will be finding the money and providing an event to the public for free. It is a fallacy to suggest that the council has to pay for things such as litter collection as this is done by the event organisers. In fact the people doing it have collected rubbish onj contract for the council at their evejnts in Lambeth Parks in previous years - for example at the Stella Artois films on Clapham Common etc. I have personally picked up stuff for no pay. I doubt if many current councillors ever got down and picked out cigarette butts from out public parks, so to get a lecture on how we are messing up the parks is a a bit rich.
The council are demanding money for the use of a public place, yet the council can't event put on a decent Brixton festival (ie one that reflects Afro-carribbean culture like the notting hill one) it doesn't really provide many 'free' public events, and in any case, unlike the cannabis festival the events are not 'free' anyway - they are paid for out of taxpayers money.
Noone is asking that the council 'subsidises' this event. We are simply asking that they set out the details of the actual costs incurred by Lambeth Council and that they are *reasonable* - just like previous administrations have been for the past five years.
It is beyond me why the Lib Dems of all people are seeking to block this event by charging well over the odds - or at least making life exteremely difficult for the festival organisers and sucking money from other areas of the event, whereas New Labour, who people would have thought of as being 'the establishment' who wouldn't want a festival that challenged the status quo - are the ones who have been the loudest in support of the festival and have been fairly reasonable on prices in previous years.
Is it a coincidence that the council has spent the best part of £30,000 trying to take the festival to court over last year, only to have the case threowbn out by a judge who asked why the council persued the case in the first place. Maybe this money is going towards trying to bring some kind of trumped up case against the festival again this year. Except they will have to top it up with another £20,000 odd from taxpayers money.
And while I am at it - I'd like to know what the official Lib Dem line is on cannabis. Does anyone actually know?
Anyway, lets hope that tomorrow a wave of sanity sweeps over Lambeth Town Hall, eh? And they think the stoners are scatty?
That'll make up for my total failure to produce our "amusing" placards last year. Alternatively, you could just make me a massive spliff and I'll wave that around for a bit until it's all gone 
