Council admits the amount of money left over from £31,000 cancelled fair is ‘unknown’

Bargoed’s Winter Fair, which was cancelled due to bad weather, was set to cost £31,000, the council has confirmed.

The council had stated that the budget would be part of 2024’s event programme in the town but now Caerphilly Observer can reveal the exact amount remaining is currently unknown.

Bargoed’s Winter Fair was due to take place on December 9 but was cancelled due to bad weather conditions. 

According to information provided by Caerphilly County Borough Council, the winter fair, two lantern-making workshops and the lantern parade were due to cost the local authority £7,000, and Bargoed Town Council £19,000 – with another £5,000 coming from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 

Caerphilly Observer asked how the decision to cancel the event was reached.

A council spokesperson said: “There were yellow weather warnings for high winds, the stall company was unable to build with the forecasted high winds, so based on this we had to cancel the event. With over 90 stalls forming part of the event it was not feasible to go ahead.

They continued: “Safety is paramount and the forecast was not safe to host such an event.”

The council made the decision “based on the forecast and safety advice from suppliers” at around midday on December 7. 

The spokesperson added: “We made the decision at this time to give suppliers and traders adequate notice, especially for some traders with perishable stock. All were understanding that we must run safe events.”

Caerphilly’s Crafty Legs Craft Fair and Caerphilly Artisan Market outdoor stalls were also cancelled. 

Events in other boroughs were also cancelled across the weekend of December 9 to 10, including Caldicot Castle Christmas Market, Hay Market, and Chepstow Christmas Market.

“The budget isn’t settled”

At the time of the event’s cancellation, a statement released online by Caerphilly County Borough Council stated that the budget for the event would be allocated towards 2024 events.

In the statement released on December 7, the council said: “Next year Bargoed will be host to a fantastic events programme and we will ensure the budget from this fair is allocated to the 2024 programme, to ensure it is bigger and better than ever, so please watch this space.”

However, it is uncertain if the full budget – £31,000 – will go towards future events. 

Caerphilly Observer asked the council what the cancellation cost was and if some contractors had already been paid. 

A spokesperson said: “Some contractors are paid, some are partly paid and some are not paid. Some have offered to carry their bookings over to next year’s Bargoed events.”

We also asked how much of the original budget is remaining and what will happen with this amount. 

A spokesperson said: “The budget isn’t settled so exact costs cannot be confirmed at this stage, but any money left from CCBC’s allocation will be carried over to the 2024 Bargoed events programme.”

Bargoed Town Council will reallocate £19,000

Bargoed Town Council, which contributed £19,000 towards the event, has confirmed that the full amount will be carried over to 2024.

In Bargoed Town Council’s Unapproved Minutes of the Extraordinary Events and Environment Committee Meeting on December 14, it states that:

• The funds will be dispersed between three events next year (including the new summer carnival)
• The cancellation fees will be split as “deemed appropriate by CCBC”.

This article was updated to include a response from Bargoed Town Council.