A GROUP from the town of Appleby in Eden has called for a 'referendum' on the town's controversial annual gypsy fair.

The 'Appleby Fair Communities Group' has started the process of requesting a referendum about the Appleby Horse Fair, claiming to do so under a clause in the Local Government Act 1972.

The group says it has been concerned about the town and surrounding villages during the fair, and said that 'locals feel they are being ignored by their councils'.

It's not clear at this stage how many locals' views are represented by the Appleby Fair Communities Group.

But a spokesperson said: “Our members are tired of the yearly Horse Fair not being run correctly, we are tired of not being listened too and tired of telling authorities that it is out of control and unsafe.  

“We don’t want to sit and wait for the incident that will inevitably happen if we continue down this road.  

“The events of the 2022 fair have served as a warning of what could happen."

This year's fair saw arrests and weapons seized by the police.

READ MORE: Two men arrested and 'number of weapons' seized at horse fair

“We did not want this to escalate to this point but after years of being ignored, any attempt to make life better for the locals were met with resistance, so we have been left with no other alternative," they went on.

“We have requested for years that the event is controlled, managed, and policed in line with any other event in the country.

“We believe more locals are negatively impacted than positively.”

They ask that the referendum include these questions:

  1. Should Appleby Horse fair be allowed to continue in the current format as a gathering with no organiser or organising body? 
  2. How should Appleby Fair be funded?
  3. Should Appleby Horse Fair be suspended until arrangements are made to comply with the wishes of the community 

 

Eden District Council has been approached for a comment.