An economic impact report on ‘Glastonbury’, commissioned by Mendip District Council and Glastonbury Festivals Limited shows that more is spent on safety and security than the actual music.
Safety and security (including police, fire and ambulance services) is put at £3.5m . Slightly more than two thirds of this spend goes to the south west region (whether Avon and Somerset Police, ambulance service, private security), and most of the remainder to security contractors. It has not always been so: as the report admits, the 1990 festival was marred by ‘conflict between looting travellers and security’ while 2001 was a ‘year off’ to improve security against gate-crashers after a mass intrusion by people not paying. A steel security fence was erected for 2002. Recent security improvements have made a major improvement in reducing ‘ticket touts etc’ within the town over the midsummer festival, the report adds.
