Another distraction!

In these last few weeks before the Food and Drink Festival I always find my 'to-do' list gets longer and longer - no matter how many tasks I complete! So the very last thing I need is distractions! Yes, you've guessed it. Yesterday I had a distraction which wasted a lot of valuable time. And it all started with a phone call from BBC Radio Stoke the day before.

A local Sunday football team had been in touch with Radio Stone and wanted, in their words, to give the Food and Drink Festival 'a red card' to stop the Festival from taking place on Westbridge Park. The team were complaining that they had been unable to play on the football pitch since last October due to the damage caused during last year's Festival. Would I give Radio Stoke an interview. No. I explained that Stafford Borough Council, who own the Park,  had given us permission to hold the Festival again this year and that we were working closely with the council to reduce any risk of damage to the field. If the football team had any grievances they should direct them to the council.

I listened to the programme yesterday and heard a representative of the football team complain that they had paid a season's fees and extra fees for alternative pitches. He also alleged that damage could still be seen - caused by tent pegs and poles and vehicle tracks. An hour or so later Councillor Mike Smith, Cabinet mimber for Leisure, gave the council's response. He was fully supportive of the Festival pointing out that over ten thousand visitors attend the event and that it had a substantial impact on the town's economy. It was put to him that the Festival could be held in a different venue - Morrison's Car Park or Crown Meadow were mentioned! I nearly fell off my seat with laughter when I heard that! Whoever came up with those ideas clearly knows nothing about Stone or the Food and Drink Festival!

However a couple of points arose during the  broadcasts which perhaps now need a comment from me.

During the monsoon weather on two of three days of last years festival, it was necessary to bring in six large round bales of straw to cover the mud and protect the pitch. That was scraped off by volunteers after the festival but a couple of areas of the pitch were nevertheless damaged. Stafford Borough Council and the Festival reached an agreement in February whereby the Festival agreed to pay a four figure sum to the Borough which included a sum for soil and labour to carry out repairs; a figure for rolling the pitch; a repayment of the football team's seasonal charge and an additional fee in respect of further pitch fees plus a fee to reinstate the goal posts. And the council had a stack of photographs of the entire area  taken immediately after the festival - no vehicle tracks or holes as alleged by the football team (bear in mind that there have been several community events held on the pitch during the ensuing twelve months).

So a lot of time wasted for no particular purpose. The football team's proposals of alternative sites were laughable and Cllr. Smith explained that the Borough had pitches available for them to play on. But I do have a lot of sympathy for the footballers if they are out of pocket bearing in mind the basis of our settlement payment earlier this year. Mike Smith's response was very reassuring. He gave very valid, sensible and robust responses and it was good to hear him endorse the Food and Drink Festival as one of the biggest events of it's kind in the area.

So no more distractions, please. My 'to-do' is still staring me in the face!