Parish and city councils in Boomtown spat (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Parish and city councils in Boomtown spat

2:00pm Thursday 31st January 2013 in Winchester By Andrew Napier

A PARISH council has complained to Winchester City Council over an allegedly misleading press release.

Tichborne Parish Council is unhappy about the release regarding the controversial Boomtown Festival last summer.

Parish chiefs complained it mentions only one complaint about unlicensed music from the event at Matterley Bowl on August 12 when in fact there were many more from people unhappy about the noise pollution.

In a statement, Tichborne said: “We require WCC licensing department to issue a revised press release after they have reviewed our complaint. We also wish WCC and the police to take formal action against the perpetrators of the unlicensed activity.”

Tichborne also, using the Freedom of Information Act, wants to see the minutes of a formal interview between city council officers and Boomtown at the civic offices on November 21.

As previously reported, the city council has decided against prosecuting Boomtown for the breaches.

In a statement, the city council said: “The press release related to the offence on the Sunday/Monday and not to the overall noise complaints during the permitted hours. Only one complaint was received whilst the unlicensed entertainment was taking place.

“The press release did not say that the music was incidental. It said that the organisers claimed it was incidental music. Winchester City Council did not accept this which is why it considered there was an offence of unlicensed activities.

“The decision not to prosecute was taken after weighing the evidence and prosecution criteria,” it added.