All emails and attachments are scanned by Norton before transmission.
An advance warning for small businesses of some of what is in the pipeline from Brussels. There is much more to come!
The European Commission are proposing new regulations that will virtually wipe out the restoration of historic vehicles in this country. It will put a vast number of successful small, specialist firms out of business, stop enthusiasts looking after their own vehicles and destroy the pleasure of thousands of people who enjoy classic and historic vehicles. Additionally it will seriously compromise the viability of a great range of community activities and events.
This may well make you laugh but it is not a joke. These proposals have only been put on hold until after the election.
Article from the National Jumblers Federation and published in ‘Old Bike Mart’ by the editor Nigel Clark nclark@mortons.co.uk 01507 529 402
and Dave True 020 8393 3342 truedvd@aol.com
Hidden away in a consultation issued by the Department of Culture Media and Sport, in September last year, is a measure which will cause headaches for organisers of large events. Entitled ‘Consultation on Fee Levels to be Established by Regulation under Licensing Act 2003’, the consultation closed on 23 December and a new fee structure came into force on 7 February. Most deal with village halls, fetes etc but tucked away in the small print is a section entitled ‘Exceptionally large events of a temporary nature requiring premises licences’. There is no mention of this in the contents section, but the paragraph which has caused most consternation states: ‘Fee levels also need to take account of exceptionally large events which may give rise to exceptional problems and licensing authority costs.
How will this effect Historic Vehicles?
Other shocks also in the pipeline as well from the EU.
1 A proposal to prevent people working on their own vehicles. All work to be carried out by an approved garage. This would kill restorations stone dead and close a lot of clubs. Also, how many modern garages would be prepared to work on classic machinery?
2 Only vehicle manufacturers, through their agents and dealerships, to sell spares. An instant end to all auto-jumbles. Where would we find classic spares?
3 Every vehicle to be subject to a possession tax each year, regardless of age or condition - even a box of bits would be included.
4 Cradle-to grave taxation on all vehicles, again regardless of condition.
5 The Kent Act to be extended across the whole of England and Wales, a disaster for stall-holding events. At the moment a free licence can be obtained from the Kent County Council and there are few Trading Standards officers to police it. If the present Government is re-elected then county councils will be ordered to appoint all the jobsworths they need to enforce the Act and to recoup the costs, which equates to a hefty licence fee.
6 Local authorities will be given greater powers to seize vehicles parked on private land.
7 The use of vehicles over a certain age, maybe only 15 or 20 years, will be severely restricted. Owners will have to submit to their local authorities details of their intended trip and submit a route for approval. Local authorities will, of course, have to charge a fee for this.
8 Vehicles over a certain age, not considered to be historic (by whom?) to be compulsorily scrapped.
9. All vehicles regardless of age, to be fitted with catalytic converters.
10. All event organisers to be forced to apply for planning permission for their events, and the abandonment of the 14-28 day rule which permits venues, such as farmers’ fields, to be used for occasional events without planning approval. Imagine the time it would take: there would have to be consultations with police, opportunities for the public to object etc. What about the proposed fees - £750 for an event with 6000 to 9000 in attendance, £50,000 for events of 75,000 or more.
11. A proposal for compulsory security staff, all vetted and licensed, to be employed at any event where alcohol is served.
“If all the above items come to pass then the additional cost to organisers will be horrific. It will get to the point where stallholders will refuse to pay the rents and the public will not come because the entrance charges are too high. Result? A lot of colour drained from a lot of people’s lives. How many people take part in car boot sales every Sunday? Hundreds of thousands, if not millions regularly attend these events. Do they realise their hobby/pastime is going to severely curtailed?”
Isn’t this absolutely frightening? Can you imagine how miserable this country would become? Are we to become the latter-day Eastern Bloc?
--------------------------------------------