KINGSBRIDGE Fair Week could be forced to put the contract for the fair out to tender, despite a 47-year relationship with David Rowland – a plan that has been called ‘greedy’ and ‘fundamentally wrong’.

Carol Horton of Kingsbridge Fair Week committee came to the Kingsbridge Town Council meeting on Tuesday night, to ask the council for support in preventing South Hams District Council from putting the fair contract out to tender.

She said: ‘David Rowland has put a great deal into Kingsbridge, charitably and in service to the town. We don’t want another fair, we have a great relationship with him.

‘Depending on when Fair Week falls, he has a good year if its in the summer holidays and a bad year if it’s the school’s Challenge Week because all the children are off doing things, but he never quibbles and it doesn’t change how much he pays.’

Cllr Keith Wingate, Fair Week President, agreed, saying: ‘I don’t see what SHDC have to do with running our fair? It’s been the same for 47 years and we have such a good relationship with him.’

Cllr Rufus Gilbert said there was a ‘precedent’ as Dartmouth put the contract for their fair out to tender recently, something that Cllr Wingate said ‘caused a lot of issues’. Cllr Sandy Gilbert said that the district council had to show it wasn’t ‘partisan’.

Cllr Wingate continued: ‘To put it out to tender is to destabilise one of our key community groups. It’s our fair, it’s our car park and we want South Hams to play nicely. He pays a fair price, pays for every space he uses.

‘We’re not Dartmouth, whose budget is in excess of £250,000 a year, Kingsbridge Fair Week runs on a budget of less than £25,000 a year, run by volunteers who don’t need this hassle.’

Cllr Wayne Grills said: ‘It’ll come down to money, whoever offers the most will get the contract.’

Cllr Rufus Gilbert said that they had had ‘cast iron guarantees’ that it wouldn’t just be about the money and the whole service would be taken into consideration, saying ‘litter, charity work, it’ll all have to be submitted’.

The councillors all expressed their fears at losing the Rotaproj event, where people with learning difficulties and other disabilities are given a free go on the rides and then provided with a disco in the sports centre afterwards – all supported by David Rowland and the Rotary Club.

County Councillor Julian Brazil said after the meeting that he thought it was ‘extraordinary’ that the district council was ‘trying to make money out of the good will and hard work of the Fair Week committee’.

He called the plans to put the contract out to tender ‘madness’ and ‘greedy’ and that the fair had ‘nothing to do with the district council’ and was all due to the ‘hard work and dedication of Fair Week volunteers’.

He continued: ‘The police are happy, the committee are happy, if SHDC want to ask for more money for the rent of the car park, that’s fine, but you can’t take it out of the committee’s hands and just put it out to tender, what’s it got to do with them?

‘It’s fundamentally wrong, SHDC are there for the good of the local people, not the good of the council. If they get more money from the tender of the contract – the Fair Week committee aren’t going to benefit. They should be congratulating the committee on all their hard work.’

David Rowland, owner of David Rowland Fun Fair said he was ‘surprised and disappointed’ in the decision to put the contract to tender.

He said coming to Kingsbridge was ‘like coming home’ and he was surprised that SHDC wanted to jeopardise the ‘smooth running’ of the event and that ‘best value doesn’t always mean the most money’.

‘I don’t want to put my prices up’, David said, ‘these are hard times for everyone. This isn’t like getting someone to cut hedges. Kingsbridge Fair Week committee are all volunteers and I’m disappointed that SHDC wants to put them under more pressure.

‘We work well together and Kingsbridge Fair Week is a local event, supported by the local community and I don’t know why SHDC want to drive a wedge between us.’

The council resolved to support Kingsbridge Fair Week with whomever they consider to be the best for the job.