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Petition demand for free Wolvestock
Wednesday 11th March 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
Music fans have launched a petition demanding a Wolverhampton festival continues to be free after the city council started charging for the first time in 15 years.
Around 370 people have so far added their names to the campaign over this summer’s Wolvestock event at East Park, which traditionally attracts about 20,000 revellers from across the country.
Wolvestock 15 is from July 25-26. Entry is usually free but this year costs £12 for day tickets and £20 for weekend passes. Other costs include £5 parking for non-campers and £15 for weekend camping. Under-16s go free with adults. Petition organiser Darren Friel, of East Park Way, has attended for years.
He has displayed copies of the petition and posters all over East Park and in shop windows. One poster features a picture of a burglar with the message declaring ‘Watch out, the Wolvestock thieves are about’.
The 34-year-old said today: “We had 60 names down in the first 10 minutes. East Park is an area of deprivation – people can’t afford to pay those prices. Wolverhampton City Council’s events team has introduced these charges without public consultation. People really feel passionate about Wolvestock and enjoy it.
“Schools are getting 400 free passes but that is nowhere near enough to compensate.”
Labour councillor Keith Inston, who represents East Park, branded the charges a “disgrace”. “Wolvestock is a great event that should be free,” he added.
The council, which is cutting £40m from the budget to balance the books and keep council tax down, say it costs taxpayers about £21,000 a year to stage Wolvestock. The event has been running since 1994.
Councillor Matt Holdcroft, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: “Negative comments can reflect badly on the city as a whole and impede those attempting to provide diverse and commercially viable events for those interested. I personally hope all events in Wolverhampton, be they council-run or private enterprise, thrive.”
This year there will not be the usual funfair but there will be entertainment, stalls, bars and food.
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Wolves Leisure Dept? What a joke!!! Several years ago I e-mailed them to ask why they don’t advertise their events – who knew about the Wolves Folk Festival or Wolvestock except those people who lived within 100 yards of the events and who could read the A4 sheets of advertising stuck 20′ up a lamppost there! Seems these things are too much of an effort for them and rather not have to run them due to lack of numbers… but that’s failed (with Wolvestock anyway – the folk festival has just disappeared) so now they are trying to price people out of the running…
So unlike South Staffs Council who advertise/publicise and run such events with enthusiasm!
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The local Community Association also have a petition on the estate, available to sign in Jazz’s, or join the facebook group ‘keep wolvestock free in east park’ to add your support to this cause.
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While we’re at it can I please have my weekly shopping for free? Why doesn’t the council pay for me to go to the cinema as well?
Oh, hang on, that’s right, the council and the nation — i.e. the taxpayer — are in massive debt. The last thing I want my council tax money wasted on is a music festival. I think it’s great that we have Wolvestock but I don’t see why I should be forced to pay for it!
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The Council are conning you.
They expected this reaction. The will agree to reducing the price to £5 and you will think you have won a victory. They are the victors because they will have 20,000 visitors at £5 which is £100,000 they never had last year.
Who is victorious?
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Codsallman — in the scenario you describe the taxpayer would be victorious.
I have no interest in country music — why should I have to fund a festival in its honour? A fiver isn’t much to ask each person to pay, after all.
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If 20,000 people attended last year and it cost £21,000 to run, why is the charge not £1.05 as surely that would cover the costs.
Or am I missing something?
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we usually run a 52 seat coach to this wonderful event each year, but my people are not prepared to pay this whacked up cost no way, i think they shoud have a change of heart because the numbers arriving will be nowhere as many as would be in previous years
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I agree with commonsense above but in the same way why should I have to pay for the vintage car show, or the city show or the bilston at the sea they say they might bring back? i dont go to them, but none of them are being charged for are they?
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