On reading inthe Pioneer that the Colwyn Bay Carnival is being cancelled I felt obliged to write them the following letter....
Re: Your article “The Carnival is over”.
Speaking as a Councillor I would like to express my concern over the purported cancellation of the Colwyn Bay Carnival. Having spoken to other Councillors we are not aware of any such cancellation and would be absolutely opposed to any such cancellation.
To quote Councillor Chris Hughes” It is a combination of things. A couple of the organisers have been unwell and it's been hard getting others to come on board which has made life very difficult. I have spoken to a few people and we hope to possibly bring it back next year." I can assure you and your readers that nobody has approached me for assistance in organising the event, had they done so I, and others, would be only too willing to put-in our time and effort for such a worthwhile event.
My heart goes out to the Carnival Queens and Princesses in hearing such news, they and their families must be devastated. These community events are the heart and soul of the area, involvement of the children teaches them the values of bringing communities together. They should not be cancelled at the drop of a hat or on the say-so of an out of touch Councillor.
I can only give them and you one assurance; I shall be demanding that this is put on the agenda of the earliest possible meeting in order to find out the reasons for Cllr Hughes’s comments and, if the Carnival has been cancelled, to have it re-instated.
Councillor John Oddy
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15 comments:
How about a Gay Carnival weekend? They can really organise parades. I suggest you get in touch with the Gay community to test the water. It will help the hotel and BB business get some badly needed hard cash.
Mary Liptrott.
Mary Anon,
You appear to be well versed in the Gay Community, why not put your organisational skills to the test and organise one yourself?, it may well help you come out of your alter-ego.
Well actually I have seen several Gay Parades, once in New Orleans, and more recently Manchester. From the business point of view business was brisk and that is what I meant about organising a Gay Parade In Colwyn Bay. I have lived in the area 2 years now, I dont pretend to have organisation skills and I take umbridge with your comment about my alter-ego. You are the Councillor, you are meant to be open to ideas and have the right connections. I hope I do not detect Homophobia in your reply. As I am sure you are aware of the equality laws.
Mary Liptrott
Hi John,
Sorry to post off subject,but I felt I must make the following clear:
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A Powys police press officer earlier today confirmed that, despite web reports to the contrary, neither Matt Single nor Sadie Graham-Single had been charged with any offence, nor is there any immediate intention to do so. Both Matt and Sadie remain on police bail, as do many other innocent BNP members accused of criminal acts by the enemies of our nation. Like: Tony Bamber, Cllr Parker, Peter Tierney etc, Sadie Graham-Single and Matt Single have been accused of the criminal actions without one scrap of evidence against them. The police, acting as they do as the paramilitary wing of the labour party, keep these people on bail at the behest of their political masters.
Reports yesterday that Matt Single had been convicted of releasing the details of about 13,000 BNP members and supporters are just another attempt to muddy the waters before the truth eventually emerges: Neither Sadie nor Matt had anything to do with the release of that list, the real culprits are far closer to the top of the party than that.
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Once again sorry to post of subject, but I do think this is important.
From
Chris Hill
(Lancaster)
Mary,
I am well versed with the law and all the other Political Correctness drivel we are subjected to , returning to your Gay Carnival, I somehow doubt the residents of Colwyn Bay are as ready as New Orleans or, indeed, Manchester to embrace the delights of a Gay Carnival. Having said that it does not negate you from trying, once you get over your umbrage at my comments may I suggest you stop hiding behind your bushel, use your hidden skills and approach CCBC for a parade licence, once you have obtained that you are well on your way. Should you require any further advice please feel free... to ask.
Chris,
Yes, you are “off-topic” but I’ve let it through as I feel it is good news. Please pass-on my regards and best wishes to Matt and Sadie.
Thanks John will do.
From
Chris Hill
(Lancaster)
Heaven forbid a gay parade, that would really be scraping the 'bottom'
Hi John.
Thanks for those kind words of encouragement.
Keep well.
From
Chris Hill
(Lancaster)
John Oddy is as independent as his BNP friends are Liberals.
Dear Anonymous (16:10 hrs),
You said:
'John Oddy is as independent as his BNP friends are Liberals.'
I say:
OK explain your comment (using a rational argument to support your views), and have the courage to post with your real name.
From
Chris Hill
(Lancaster)
Here is a good reason why any idea of a Gay Carnival in Colwyn Bay should be put on a back burner as highly unsuitable.
Britain has most new HIV cases in Europe
2009 Britain has almost twice as many new HIV cases diagnosed in a year as any other west European country, new figures show.
There were 7,734 new cases of the virus recorded in 2007, nearly double the figure reported at the turn of the millennium, according to Unicef.
The worst-affected groups were gay men and immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, the charity added.
I tried to get this heard at the AGM last Monday night but was not allowed. It is now to be heard at the Amenities sub-committee at 6pm next Tuesday, the 16th, this is a public meeting and I know, from phone calls that quite a few people are intending to attend it. Here is a copy of my letter to the Council..
I would like a formal response from Councillor Chris Hughes in connection to the article in the Pioneer “The Carnival is Over”.
I know there are fellow Councillors here who, like me, would like to know why Councillor Hughes has cancelled the Carnival without consultation with this Council.
Councillor Hughes stated in the paper, when asked if the Carnival was going ahead... "No it's not, largely because work is going on in Eirias Park. With all the development work going on there is an issue with space for the Morris dancers and the other activities.
It is a combination of things. A couple of the organisers have been unwell and it's been hard getting others to come on board which has made life very difficult. I have spoken to a few people and we hope to possibly bring it back next year."
Having spoken to the Morris dancing group “Clerical Error” they informed me that they need only a relatively small area and can adapt their dance to any given area. As for difficulty in “Getting others to come on board” I would like to know which of us Councillor Hughes has approached because I certainly wasn’t one of them.
I would therefore like this Council to assure the general public that this Carnival will go ahead and that we, this Council, will do everything to ensure that it does.
Councillor John Oddy
If you cannot attend don’t worry I shall be reporting Cllr Hughes’s response on here.
COLWYN BAY.
'Is not gay enough'
Not enough of this is going on in Colwyn Bay rights groups are making an official complaint about Colwyn Bay Council, saying the Council isn't gay enough.
Pressure group Pride in Colwyn Bay said they had complained to the council about the need for an lesbian, gay, bisexial transgender community drop-in centre, the lack of gay bars and no investment in pink tourism.
Colwyn Bay Council see us as a problem, not as an opportunity," spokesman Andrew Brown told UK Gay News.
"We're someone to be dealt with, not a group to work with. They're more interested in ticking their equality boxes and engaging in back-and-forth 'who-said-what' games than they are in dealing with the real issues.
"They'll respond to our letters, so that they can say they've replied to us. But they never respond to our concerns.
"We do not believe the Council want a thriving LGBT community in their Colwyn Bay" .
Our group is launching an official complaint with the Local Government Ombudsman.
The Council cant defended its actions because it has never hosted a gay pride day at the council and provided funding for the group.
"The council needs to strongly support any suggestions by Pride in Colwyn Bay that we do want to engage with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, and we are very disappointed we will have to refer this to the Ombudsman.
"The council has not to date provided Pride in Colwyn Bay with any funding through our grants system, to help them identify the needs of the LGBT community and promote their concerns.
At last night’s meeting I found out that although the Carnival is organised by some Councillors; it is not a Council run event, the Councillors organise it in their own time and off their own backs. The Council does help towards funding it but that is our only input.
So, in this case, the Council cannot intervene and it is up to the organisers to make their own decisions. They have decided not to run the Carnival but they will have a “Crowning” for the Queens and Princesses.
I would like to apologise to all those concerned for my misinterpretation of the situation, had it been Council run, then the outcome may well have been different.
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