ROCKS BILL IS ‘RUBBISH’
Organisers hit out at unannounced charge
Organisers of the free community event Gala Rocks in Coupar Angus have slammed Perth and Kinross Council after they have been told they are to be hit with a bill for nearly £200 for collecting rubbish from the site.
An estimated 3000 people attended the all-day entertainment extravaganza which was pulled together by the Gala Rocks committee, led by taxi driver and local resident Jimmy Harris.
Jimmy and his team of volunteers worked throughout the event to ensure that it was kept free of litter, and cleared the site afterwards, putting the rubbish in six bins that the local authority had provided.
But they say that they were never informed by Perth and Kinross Council that there would be a charge for removing the bins - until they had been collected and they were told that they were facing a bill of £173.
Jimmy said: “PKC are saying that there was over a tonne of rubbish but there wasn’t - it was all plastic cups, there’s no way there was a tonne of it.
“They are saying they are going to charge us £39 for labour for collecting it and £134 for disposing of the waste. They gave us six bins
and never mentioned that we would be charged for picking them up.
“If we had known that was going to happen we would have moved it ourselves - it would have taken us five minutes!
“This was an event that we worked really hard all year raising funds for so that it was free for the community to enjoy.
“It cost over £7000 to run Gala Rocks this year, paying for the bands, the toilets, the PA system and the stage, the market licence - it all adds up and people don’t realise how much it costs and how much effort goes into it all.
“And to then get hit with a bill like this which we hadn’t even been told was coming is gutting. I am so angry and disappointed.
“If there’s no money left then that £170 is going to have to come out of my pocket.”
Jimmy went on: “We’ve had so much hassle from PKC - they have never once offered us any help, we asked if there were grants available for events like this and were told there’s none.
“PKC are not interested in Coupar Angus, they are only interested in what they can make out of the town.
“The park was spotless by the time we left - you wouldn’t even have realised the event had taken place.
“I actually can’t believe that they are doing this when they know it‘s a not-for-profit event.
“Something like this really puts you off wanting to do positive things for your local commuunity but I really don’t want the council to spoil everyone’s fun.
“One way or another I hope that Coupar Angus will get its day again.”
In a statement a spokesperson for PKC said: “Perth and Kinross Council supplied six 240 litre waste bins, plus four single and one disabled mobile toilet for a four-day hire at no cost to the Gala Rocks organisers.
“To ensure that resources are distributed fairly across Perth and Kinross this is the normal level of support offered to non-commercial community events, there will be a charge for anything in addition to this.
“The organisers did enquire about the costs of additional waste bins before the event, but did not go ahead with this after receiving an estimated price.
“The conditions of hire for council-managed green spaces in Perth and Kinross are clear that the council will seek to recover costs for additional clean-ups required outwith any waste bins provided.
“Following the Gala Rocks event additional clean-up was required and the final price given to the organiser includes collection, transportation and disposal costs for this additional waste.”