THE Town Council has rejected a grant funding application submitted by Mayor Cllr David Coole for the Andover Summer Fayre.

An extraordinary meeting of full council decided not to give a grant for the event that is scheduled to be held at Vigo Park on Saturday, August 27.

Both Cllr David Coole and Cllr Joanne Coole are directors of Our Andover CIC, a non-profit organisation that is holding the fayre.

Several councillors raised concerns about the grant application after the two councillors stepped out of the meeting for the debate.

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Cllr Robin Hughes said Cllr Coole should not have written an email to all councillors requesting grant for the event.

Cllr Hughes said: “I think we have a real problem with the director of the CIC also being the Town Mayor.”

“Yesterday [on Tuesday, August 23], he updated all councillors via email in a manner that is not really what should be done. Our code of conduct would seem to suggest we don't do things like that and certainly trying to influence councillors the day before this meeting about why you should vote for them. That's one of my issues with this.

“The second issue is they're asking for £600 for insurance for another event – Festival of Motoring. In this one [Summer Fayre], they're asking for £400 insurance. So they are insuring the events one by one. If you are a member of a community organisation, you identify insurance as a whole. It has one insurance policy that covers all the events.”

Cllr Richard Rowles also expressed concerns that there is no income from the Summer Fayre.

“I've helped organise loads of events. And then at the end of the event, the businesses at the event come up and they give you a lot of cash. That's what it's called concession, which is not in here. I can only believe that the income is not anywhere because the profits will be spent by Our Andover CIC, helping the local community as well. If their idea was to then give that to other people, then we cannot under any circumstances, give money to people who give it to others.”

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Cllr Luigi Gregori said: “I've got some sympathy for the Andover CIC. I think they left it too late to apply. It does talk about raising money and then that money is going elsewhere which is a bit of an issue with the CIC.”

The council later rejected the application through voting.