COUNCIL IN COURT AFTER FUNFAIR BAN
Operator launches legal bid after covid cancellation
A BUSINESSESMAN is mounting a legal challenge against a council after his funfair was cancelled due to a coronvirus outbreak.
Biddulph-based Warwicks Funfairs was barred from holding the annual Cheadle Wakes event in June due to an outbreak of the Delta variant 11 miles away in Leek.
Paul Warwick, who runs the business, is now appealing against Staffordshire County Council’s decision, with the case due to be heard at North Staffordshire Justice Centre in January.
Mr Warwick said: “We’re not out of the pandemic yet, so I’m doing this to make sure this doesn’t happen again. And I’m not just doing it for myself, but for the industry as a whole.
“There were other events even closer to Leek that were allowed to go ahead.
The only difference was that they were in Stoke-on-trent, which has a different council.
“Alton Towers was allowed to open as well, and I actually had more coronavirus measures in place than them, like temperature checks at the entrance.
“The council’s decision left me thousands of pounds out of pocket, as we had already got everything set up.
“But I’m not really thinking about compensation – I’m doing this to show that the council was wrong, and so they’ll think twice about doing it again.”
The Delta outbreak in Leek gave the town one of the highest infection rates in the West Midlands.
Public health chiefs were concerned that teenagers, who accounted for most of the infections at the time, would travel to the funfair from Leek.
Victoria Wilson, cabinet member with responsibility for trading standards at Staffordshire County Council, said: “In June of this year, because of rising numbers of Covid-19 cases at the time and in order to control the spread of the disease locally, the county council took the difficult decision to serve a notice preventing the event going ahead.
“The event organiser, Warwicks Funfair, has appealed this decision, which the county council intends to defend.”
The case has been adjourned to January 10 at North Staffordshire Justice Centre.