South Kesteven District Council rejects request to extend dates of Mid-Lent Fair in Grantham

A request to extend the Mid-Lent Fair in Grantham - and hold it on different days - has been rejected.

South Kesteven District Council’s Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee unanimously voted today (Thursday) to not extend the days of the fair from four to five, and change the days for it to run from Wednesday to Sunday, instead of Sunday to Wednesday.

The request to make this extension was put forward by the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain.

Councillor Paul Stokes (Ind, Grantham Arnoldfield), cabinet member for leisure and culture, said extending the days would result in “significant impact on businesses” and traffic problems.

Councillor Tim Harrison (Ind, Grantham St Wulfram’s) agreed with Coun Stokes and raised issues with anti-social behaviour and felt that the proposed extension could “exacerbate those issues”.

The council held a consultation to ask residents' views on the proposals, for which they received 222 responses.

On extending the fair days, 54.8 per cent (119 people) agreed they should be extended.

On changing the days for the fair, 49 per cent (92 people) agreed they should be extended, with 36.2 per cent (68 people) disagreeing, and 1 per cent (one person) undecided.

The Mid-Lent Fair has been set out in the Royal Charter of Grantham since 1484.