Mean Fiddler have won a court appeal that could set a precedent for when promoters have to pay for policing in or around their events.
The appeal court hearing related to charges (financial, not legal) made by West Yorkshire Police following Mean Fiddler's 2003 Leeds Festival. The local police force dramatically increased its presence around the festival site after the previous year's event had ended in a bit of a riot (violent, not musical). It then presented Mean Fiddler with a £300,000 bill to pay for that increased policing.
Mean Fiddler argued that because the increase in policing was "around" the event, but not actually on the festival site, they should not have to pay. A County Court initially sided with the police and ordered the promoters to pay, but the Appeal Courts yesterday overturned that decision, ordering the police to return Mean Fiddler's money. Yesterday's judges said that West Yorkshire Police had not provided "special police services" in August 2003 because their heightened presence was more for the benefit of the surrounding community rather than festival-goers - and therefore Mean Fiddler should not have to pay.
Recognising that their ruling might have implications for the policing of all major events, Lord Justice Baker said that the court was being asked to decide on the dividing line between the services the police must provide as part of its public duty and special services provided at the request of promoters, for which promoters must pay. Baker admitted the law was in part vague on where that dividing line should be, and that if anything it tended to lean in favour of the promoters, who could only really be obligated to cover off-site policing costs when applying for their event licence. With that in mind the judge advised police forces to reach agreements with promoters early on relating to the cost of policing their events.
Welcoming the Appeal Court ruling, Mean Fiddler boss Melvin Benn told reporters: "If the police had been on the site as I wanted them to be I would pay for them. They wouldn't come on the site and chose to police the public highway instead. I don't think I should be charged for that."