Passions ran high in Appleby as around 100 members of the public questioned eight officials about oversight of this year’s horse fair.
From the floor of the public hall, a swathe of criticisms were levelled from reports of serious criminality and anti-social behaviour, softly-softly or non-existent policing, to not enough being done to apply the laws and regulations of the land fairly at a meeting last night, July 7.
A businessman reported that just three of 38 local firms benefitted, with the rest amassing estimated losses of £60,000.
A member of the public – branding the event a “sham” – called for an on-the-spot show of hands with just four going up in favour of the fair. However, the meeting chair intervened and said it should be disregarded as unscientific with people afraid to show support.
Senior Cumbria police officers maintained that they are committed to taking views on board and said there had been more enforcement in 2022 than “probably in the last decade” with 28 arrests, with fixed penalty notices going from 58 last year to 139.
The packed house also heard from various representatives of the Multi Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group who pledged to appoint independent experts to oversee a review of the “legalities and practicalities” of the fair remaining an unorganised event.
In calls for more respect, a Gypsy and Traveller representative replied that it was easier said than done and that the majority did not want to be camped on isolated roads but were turned away when trying to book on official sites.
A member of the public said: “Most of the people in Appleby really want the fair to go on and they want the Travellers to be given the opportunity to do that – but not at the expense of the residents who live here, pay their taxes and have it completely destroyed for five days.
“There are good ones and bad ones – and we somehow have to take control and stop them blatantly breaking the law and ignoring all the rules and regulations the rest of us have to follow.”
On the way out a resident was asked what he thought of the event and replied: “Same old, same old.”
Meanwhile, plans for a parish poll over the horse fair’s future are pushing ahead. Read more here.
