| One of the highlights of the Brentford community calendar, the Brentford Festival, which takes place on the first Sunday in September, has been cancelled because of a dispute over charges. The Hounslow Chronicle reports today that John Laing, which is contracted by Hounslow Council to manage its parks, demanded £671 from festival organisers, the Friends of Boston Manor Park, to run the event. However, an inside source confirmed that the charges demanded were actually over £6,000, a figure the voluntary group could not afford to pay. This is a scandalous example of a private company trying to make a profit from a community event. Sadly, deadlines for booking acts, caterers etc. have now been missed, which means that even if the dispute is sorted out, the event is unlikely to take place. However, the Friends of Boston Manor are calling on local residents to contact their councillors to express their disappointment, in the hope that the Festival can take its rightful place at the heart of the Brentford calendar in 2013! |