Images from last year’s successful Primrose Hill May Fair

Published: 11 April 2013
by PAVAN AMARA

ORGANISERS of Primrose Hill May Fair say they could cancel it for the first time in four years because they are “sick of having to deal with unsubstantiated attacks from snipers standing on the sidelines”.

The Primrose Hill Business Association, which organises the area’s Christmas lights and two annual fairs every year, informed traders the May Fair would not be taking place after “constant complaints” from some traders on Regent’s Park Road.

Phil Cowan, who owns Primrose Hill Interiors, said: “Cancelling the fair is an extreme reaction to a few questions being asked by us.

“What many of the traders had been saying was that, far from increasing business sales, the fairs have been detrimental to sales.

“Permanent shops pay rent and business rates all year, and then an external collection of stalls arrive on trading day, block off shopfronts, killing trade, then move on.”

He added: “The quality is the same as a second-rate rock festival, and the donkey rides offered to children are tasteless and insensitive to animal welfare.

"For many years people have been questioning: where are the Business Association’s accounts? Why do we have such appalling Christmas lights every year?

"Where is all the money made at the annual fairs going? Why aren’t these funds being used to promote Regent’s Park Road?

“Some of us asked these questions, and the next thing I know they say they’ve cancelled the fair. We found out on Twitter, it wasn’t even formally announced.”

Rosie Winston, who left the Business Association after six years, said: “We used to give a lot of money to charity, the first time we organised a fair we gave £1,000 to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.

“There’s no reason why we can’t give more money made at the fairs to charity, now nothing goes to charity.

“People still ask to see the fireworks on Primrose Hill, although they’ve been gone for years. The Business Association’s cash could be used to bring that back.”

But estate agent David Birkett, who has traded in the area for 25 years and is in charge of the Business Association’s accounts, said he was the “first to agree we haven’t been hugely democratic.”

He added: “I am the only signatory who can give money away and I think we need more signatories to prove we are completely transparent.

“The idea that there’s anything underhand going on, as people seem to be suggesting, is ludicrous.

“I am an estate agent, I have to be squeaky clean with money or I would lose my livelihood.

"I am the only signatory because I happened to be the only person who could easily open client accounts, I happened to have all the insurance in place before because of my business work.

“When we first started the Business Association I was not told we needed formal accounts or spreadsheets, because it’s not complex, we have a cheque book to see all our expenditure, paying-in slips that show what we put in, and a bank statement every month.

“I have been asked why we don’t have an accountant in the past, well that’s because it would cost £500 to get someone to do something so simple.

“At the moment we have £3,000 in the account, we are expecting £2,000 in by May and then we owe [local councillor and campaigner] Jonny Bucknell £1,500 expenses, so we hover between £2,500 and £5,000, but that’s not net profit because there are things to go out all the time. If the May Fair is cancelled then we will not be flush at all.”

In response to criticisms that the Business Association had not yet billed Sandfords estate agents £1,500 to have banners up at the November fair, Mr Birkett added: “We all have businesses aside from volunteering at the Business Association, so sometimes things take time.

“This month I wrote the invoice up, but I can’t say for sure whether it has got to Sandfords yet. After all, I’m not in charge of delivering the invoice, I just write it up when someone tells me to.

“You can’t please all the people all the time. I am friends with all sides but the real reason we’ve talked about cancellation is because we are sick of having to deal with all these unsubstantiated attacks, especially about our finances, from snipers standing on the sidelines.”

Jo Barnett, who runs Prim Nail and Beauty Salon in Erskine Road and sits on the Business Association, said: “We work incredibly hard at the Business Association. We wanted the fair for the footfall it would bring to the area but all we’ve had are comments to do with intricacies that don’t make any sense.”

The business association is to hold a meeting on Tuesday April 16 a 6pm meeting at the Greenberry Cafe to discuss whether the fair should be cancelled.

All are welcome to attend.