A VINTAGE car rally is moving out of Weymouth town centre after organisers slammed the council for ‘taking money from charities’ and being ‘short-sighted.’

Transport of Yesteryear holds its Hardy Country Classic Rally in June every year, raising money for the Joseph Weld Hospice. It has raised £15,000 for the good cause over 15 years.

It finishes at the Weymouth Pavilion car park where there is a display for people to enjoy. But this year’s rally will be moving to the Riviera Hotel at Bowleaze Cove, after the group said it had been unable to agree with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council on a way forward.

At a council meeting in September last year councillors agreed to start charging for events taking place on council land. Back in December the group slammed the council for the move, saying it was taking money away from the charities it collects for, and said it was not costing the council anything to host the event, as it did its own marshalling. Originally the group was asked to pay £96 a day, then later £96 for three days.

At the time the borough council said it did not charge charities for street collection permits but did charge for events taking place on council land. It said it was happy to offer discounted rates for charity events, but due to the current financial climate it had to ensure they covered costs.

But Transport of Yesteryear said that it was the ‘principal of the matter’ and has now arranged to use the car park at the Riviera Hotel for free when the car rally rolls into town on June 28.

Carle Grahame, from the group, said: “The Riviera has welcomed us with open arms.”

Mr Grahame added: “We have done our best for the town for a long time and we have been kicked in the teeth and so have the charities, so we have decided to take up this other offer.”

He added: “I think it’s a great shame – really it’s so short-sighted.”

Cllr Colin Huckle, council spokesman for finance and assets, said: “We wish Transport of Yesteryear every success with their new event’s location. We continue to be very supportive to charities wishing to use council land and are happy to offer discounted rates for these events. We have over 250 organised events taking place this year in Weymouth and Portland and we look to recover our highly regarded events team’s costs to support these events for the social and economic benefits that they bring to the borough.”

He added: “The Weymouth Esplanade is a great location for these events as it offers a large captive audience, which is ideal for any charity or organisation looking to raise money.”

THE revised charging system for events taking place on council land is being introduced as a two-year phased approach following the WPBC management committee review of events and festivals service in September.

NEW CHARGES

  • Commercial events from £315 per event day.
  • Non-commercial events from £210 per event day.
  • Charity events from £80 per event day.
  • Build and breakdown days 50% of the above rates.