The last band contest

Scouthead and Austerlands Band Contest organisers angry that this year may be the last, due to traffic management problems. Left to right, Elaine Buckley, Paul Ashworth, David Needham, Bill Lowe, Pam Edwardson, David Buckley, Richard Edwardson.

OVERBEARING regulations have forced organisers to pull the plug on 35 years of band contest history in Scouthead.

Whit Friday organisers were astonished when police dropped the news that bands would only be able to march along Huddersfield Road until 10.30pm — instead of midnight like most other Saddleworth villages.

That, teamed with a steady increase in red tape and fear of being sued, has prompted the volunteer committee to say "enough is enough".

The peak time that most bands play at the contest, that generally sees around 70 entries, is around 9.30pm.

However as police will not be controlling traffic past 10.30pm at next Friday's contest, organisers have been forced to make 10pm their last registration instead of 11pm.

It is thought this would have led to an influx of bands and coaches creating increased congestion.

Secretary David Needham said: "It is just another of the many obstacles placed in our way in recent years, so much so that the committee has now decided that we will call it a day after this year's contest.

"We have been told by the police that if we are unhappy with the arrangement, we can always hire in a specialist contractor.

"Apart from the impracticality of this suggestion so near to the contest, if we take up this idea it means the legal liability for traffic management on the A62 would rest entirely on the individual members of our committee.

"For us, that is a responsibility too far."

The Scouthead and Austerlands contest was first staged in 1977, when the Queen celebrated her silver jubilee.

Now the Diamond Jubilee year will act as poignant goodbye for both committee organisers, bands and regular patrons who flock to the well-supported contest.

As well as addressing the police concerns, members have also had to fill in a 19-page risk assessment form and obtain four different licences to enable the show to go on at Dawson's Field.



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