§ Dr. Alan Glyn (Windsor and Maidenhead)With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I beg leave to present a petition against the holding of an illegal so-called free pop festival in Windsor Great Park.
This petition was presented to me outside the Palace of Westminster by the organiser, Mrs. Horne. It is signed by the Chairman of the Berkshire County Council, the Mayor and Mayoress of the Royal Borough of Windsor and many prominent citizens. It contains no fewer than 7,000 signatures.
The House agreed without Division on 13th December 1974 to my motion which expressed concern and suggested means of preventing a recurrence of the festival at Windsor. Subsequently, similar recommendations were made by the public protection committee of the county council and endorsed by the Berkshire County Council which supported the Crown Commissioners in their refusal to allow an illegal festival in the Great Park and requested the Chief Constable of the Thames Valley to take all possible steps to prevent such a festival from taking place.
The petition is in support of law and order and is short. It reads as follows:
To the Honourable the House of Commons of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled.The humble petition of the people of Windsor and the surrounding area, being citizens of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, sheweth that a large number of your petitioners have suffered as a result of the holding of a so-called free festival in Windsor Great Park on a number of consecutive days in the month of August in the years of 1972, 1973 and 1974 and attended by some thousands of people. As a result of this festival your petitioners have suffered from ceaseless and excessive noise, witnessed the misuse of 870 drugs, acts of violence and threatened violence, have been deprived of the use of part of the Great Park during the holding of these festivals and have suffered many other inconveniences, not only in the Great Park itself but in the town of Windsor and surrounding areas.Wherefore your petitioners pray that such measures be taken to prevent the recurrence of this nuisance in Windsor Great Park and surrounding areas in future.And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.
§ I beg leave to present the petition.
§ To lie upon the Table.
§ Mr. SpeakerMr. Weatherill.
§ Sir George Sinclair (Dorking)On a point of order. May I seek your advice, Mr. Speaker, on how to bring to the notice of this House the fact that a petition against the pop festival to be held at Wisley Airport was presented a fortnight ago by my hon. Friend the Member for Esher (Mr. Mather) and myself to the Secretary of State for the Environment? I wish to ask you how we can bring to the notice of the House the revolt of people living in these areas against such intrusions of pop festivals.
§ Mr. SpeakerI will consider the matter, but I should have thought that there were numerous ways in which any hon. Member could pursue matters. However, I will consider whether there is any special measure of which I can advise the hon. Member. I will let him know.
§ Mr. Carol Mather (Esher)Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I support my hon. Friend—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I must proceed with the petitions, and I will take points of order later.