A YEAR after Hatherleigh Carnival successfully overcame the threat of a steep rise in insurance, the popular event has been hit by another unwelcome extra cost.
Hatherleigh Carnival committee was dismayed to learn that the police expect them to help foot the bill for policing the event.
But it will not affect this year?s popular event.
The police say the charge is partly necessary because of budget cuts.
At a committee meeting last week, members decided the event must go ahead next year but said they were unsure from where they would find the money.
The police have said they will not charge the carnival in full this year, but that a ?fair contribution? next year would be an amount in excess of £1,000.
Cindy Squire, carnival press secretary, said: ?If the police charge us, there is no way the carnival can afford to make its traditional donations to local good causes.?
She said this year?s charity money had been earmarked for the new Hatherleigh Rangers group and the town?s Christmas lights. Committee members fear all the money raised by the carnival in future could end up being spent on policing the event.
The committee will hold a further meeting with the police to see if the level of policing is appropriate and if any reductions can be achieved while still maintaining public safety and order.
Mrs Squire said Hatherleigh Carnival was organised by individuals for the good of the community, not by a town council or local authority, unlike many of the other events police were now levying a charge for.
Sgt Richard Nettleship, neighbourhood beat manager for West Devon, said: ?We have significant costs with these various events. Although to some it may seem like a small local event, Hatherleigh Carnival does attract a high level of policing.
?We have asked for a small contribution this year, which is actually a very small proportion of the overall costs.
Sgt Nettleship said the police would continue discussions with the committee about the nature of policing at the event.
?It is not our intention to stop the carnival happening, but we have to recoup some of our costs and we will be working with the event organisers to try and ensure it is run efficiently and our costs are kept to a minimum.
?Hatherleigh is towards the bottom of the spectrum in terms of the scale of public events we have to manage, and if we can work with the organisers to reduce the costs for next year, we will do.?
Another setback for the committee came when West Devon Council refused to waive charges for the town?s car park, which were controversially introduced earlier this year, for one day only.
Last year, two cars had been parked along the route of the flaming tar barrel run for which the carnival is famous.
Mrs Squire said: ?We have made a plea for people to remember not to park on the route and to help with that, we wrote to the borough council to ask if they would waive the parking fees for just the one day, but they said they could not do that as it would be setting a precedent.?
The carnival committee faced problems last year with rising insurance costs, and only found reasonable cover for the event at the eleventh hour. The carnival highlight, the rolling of the tar barrels was thought to be a major factor in making the event expensive to insure.
Hatherleigh Carnival takes place on Saturday, November 13.