Friday, November 27, 2015

Former Oakham Mayor Jim Harrison Tell Leicester Mercury Banning Cottesmore Hunt is their biggest mistake ever?

Former Oakham Mayor Jim Harrison Tell Leicester Mercury Banning Cottesmore Hunt is their biggest mistake ever? Possible because we don't do much?

So far all the comments in the Leicester Mercury appear to support the Town Council
All but one person who spoke to me in town today expressed how pleased they were
with the outcome of the vote.

One said they will miss the spectacle and tradition this year.

It's not a scientific poll or judgement but I feel confident that I made the correct decision by asking the hunt to move to another location, despite our Deputy Mayor Adam Lowe attacking
the council for not representing the residents.

There is a petition set up by the pro hunt they are asking people to sign even if
they don't like in the area so I not sure how worthy such a petition would be.
2000 + imagine if they all turned out to cottesmore hunt events.


http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Cottesmore-Hunt-gets-banned-town-ending-80-year/story-28253563-detail/story.html


Huntsmen have been banned from meeting at their traditional Boxing Day spot because of the state they left it in last year.

Each year on December 26 the Cottesmore Hunt gather in Cutts Close, Oakham, where the large green hosts up to 800 people as wells as horses and hounds.

The tradition stretches back about 80 years and the hunt sends in clean-up teams to remove the dog and horse mess and restore the green after the meets.

But according to Oakham Town Council, last year the grass was left in an unacceptably chewed up state.

Council chairman Alf Dewis said: "Boxing Day is not a good time of year for going on the grass there and it makes a mess when they have the meets.

"Usually they make it good afterwards but last year the grass was not restored.

"I know they've been meeting there for some time but we were really loathed to have to go through the same thing again and have them not make it good afterwards."

Cottesmore hunt secretary Clare Bell said the council had made no complaints to the hunt about the state of the land last Christmas.

She said: "We have a team that goes in and cleans up the dog mess and horse mess and although the council did complain about the state of the grass five years ago we received no complaints about it last year.

"There are horses and about 700 to 800 people so it's bound to have some affect."

She said she suspected the council was interested in having a circus on the land instead.

She said: "It's my understanding that the council is renting the site out to a circus and that will make them more money."

Hunt supporter Jim Harrison, 69, of Oakham, who has attended the meets for many years, said: "The hunt has been meeting at Cutts Close for a long, long time now and it's a tradition.

"I think the cafes, restaurants and pubs in the area are going to miss out on a lot of trade and this is the biggest mistake the town council has ever made."