Following on from Salford Council charging schoolgirls from St George’s RC School almost £2,000 (£1918.35) to march in protest at the closure of their school at the end of February (see last issue of Salford Star), no-one paid the bill and the Council started to get heavy with the school. A letter arrived from the City Treasurer threatening `County Court proceedings’ or `referral to a debt recovery agency whereby further charges of up to 33% could be levied’.
Governors still didn’t pay but rather than going through with the threats the City Treasurer in the end just deducted it from a payment due to the school. Hope the Council wasn’t just scared of yet more bad publicity…
…Meanwhile, the Council argued that the charges weren’t a political attempt to stop the march, just a fee to close the road. But since the St George’s march there’s been lots of parades where Salford’s roads have been closed and no charge made to the organisers…Like, ironically, the St George’s Day Parade, the Whit Walks, and the Mayor’s Parade in Eccles…all free.
“Whit walks have taken place for hundreds of years” said Councillor Derek Antrobus, lead member for Planning at Salford Council “and the council has always supported this tradition…”
So, the `tradition’ of peaceful protest and democracy, obviously aren’t worthy of Council support…
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